Moments in Time
by WildSpirit-Forever
Summary: It is not blood but loyalty which makes us family One-shots and stories focusing on Jack's life as a Guardian. No parings, so nothing romantic, as I know nothing about that stuff. But most of the other genres will probably be included.
1. Love Makes A Family Chapter 1

_**Okay, this was the first ROTG-Fanfiction I ever wrote, (now with a few changes) so I figured I would just upload it first. There will be a few more shorts chapters which belongs to this story, but I wanted give you all a little taste first. So let me know what you think and I will soon upload the next part. See you guys!**_

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North threw the large door opened and walked inside the large factory, Tooth, Sandy and Bunny following close behind. The Cossack laughed loudly at the threat finally being over, the rich laughter echoing across the large building. Pitch had been defeated and the children of the world believed once again.

"Let us have a feast, to celebrate our victory!"

The other guardians agreed, for once feeling that they deserved to have a little time off.

"Come on in everyone," North shouted, "Don't let the cold in."

Too late would North realize his mistake with his words.

Jack had just been about to step inside when North spoke but now stopped, his foot hovering over the threshold. His blue eyes were wide, reflecting just how much he had been hurt.

'Don't let the cold in'

He was Jack Frost, he was the cold itself. 'Don't let the cold in' was just other words for, 'Don't let Jack Frost in', a sentence that had hunted him for hundreds of years. And nothing had change, he still wasn't welcomed.

Taking a step back his grip around his staff tightened and tears welled up in his eyes, even when he tried his hardest to stop them.

He couldn't believe how stupid he had been, hoping for something that could never be. He hadn't been welcomed for three hundred years, why would he be welcomed anywhere now? He was the bringer of cold, and no one wanted to let the cold into their homes.

Looking up Jack saw how the other talked to one another, how they laughed with each other...how they belonged together. But Jack knew he would never belong, he was just too different. Jack wished he could, but he knew it was never meant to be.

And it broke his heart.

He wanted nothing more than to belong, to be accepted for who he was. He wanted someone who was there for him, that cared about him. It was all he had ever wanted, even more than being believed in. He wanted someone to care, he wanted a home...

…he wanted a family.

Looking at the others he knew they were a family, they cared for each other. But somehow, Jack couldn't see himself among them, sharing what they had. No matter how much he wished he could.

They wouldn't want him anyway, Pitch was right about that. Jack knew no one could ever care about him, he was just trouble, a mistake. He still wondered why MiM had even chosen him. It would just had been better if he had died that day in the lake.

Hearing the others laugh made Jack drew a shuddering breath, the rich sound making him remember to breath. A single tear managed to slip down his cheek, before he quickly wiped it away.

Taking one last look at what he could never have, he grabbed the doorknob and closed the door, before he turned around and began to walk away.


	2. Love Makes A Family Chapter 2

_**Yay, next part! I said I would upload the next part soon and here it is. This one is a little longer than the first, so let me know what you all think and more will be coming soon.**_

 _ **(I know Jack isn't really fourteen in the movie, but I lowered his age because I thought it would give the story a little more 'feel'. As more and other stories will be uploaded, Jack's age will shift, just to let you know)**_

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Bunny heard the door quietly click shut and looked over his shoulder, expecting to see the Winter Spirit. But he was met by nothing but an empty spot where Jack should have been.

Blinking a couple of times he looked around in the room, searching for the boy. But he found nothing and it took a moment before it suddenly dawned on him. Jack had left without saying a word, without telling them.

But why? What would cause the boy to leave?

'Don't let the cold in'.

It hit Bunny like a ton of bricks. His ears fell as his eyes widened, his gaze glued on the wooden door. He understood it then. Those words, the words no one had paid close attention to, had made Jack feel like he wasn't welcomed.

They had crushed his heart, his hopes, without even realizing it. They had pushed him away without meaning to, they had made him believe he didn't belong by not reassuring him that he was welcomed, that he was one of them. They take away his hope, and no one could feel worse than the Pooka at that moment.

He was the bringer and keeper of Hope, yet he had failed to bring it to the one that needed it the most. Jack was only a child, he couldn't be more than fourteen years old. A child that had been alone for so long.

Bunny found himself wondering when Jack had first lost his hope, the very hope he protected every day. Was it the first time he was walked through? Or was it when no one came to help him, to explain to him why he was the way he was? Or was it when every other immortal, all of them, had pushed him away, refusing to have anything to do with him?

Bunny felt his heart break when he realized just how lonely the boy was, how broken he really was. He knew how it felt to be alone, he was the last Pooka after all. But he had still had the other Guardians when he had become the last of his kind.

But Jack had had no one, he had really been alone. For three hundred years, he had been alone with no one that care about him.

And it was their fault.

They could, should, have been there for Jack. They should have showed him that he didn't need to be alone, that he had somewhere where he belonged.

But they hadn't. A first, they had at ignored him, acting like the Winter Spirit didn't even exist. But when the other immortals, every other spirit, spoke of how much trouble the Winter Spirit caused, how much life his cold snuffed out, they had shown the boy they wanted nothing to do with him by completely shutting him off when he tried to interact with them.

North had ordered the yetis that the newest spirit wasn't welcome, Tooth had ordered her faeries that they would under no circumstances get close to the boy, Sandy had quickly left when the boy had tried to speak with him and Bunny, oh Bunny had been the worst of them all.

Each time he and Jack had come in contact with each other, he had been sure to show his hate towards the Winter Spirit. He had gone about it by outright ignoring him or screaming at him to get lost, that he wasn't wanted.

Thinking back, Bunny could suddenly remember those ice blue eyes filling with tears each time he had screamed at the small boy. He had crushed the boy over and over again and he never stopped to look at the result of his actions.

Maybe if he had, instead of seeing a trouble making Bringer of Winter, maybe he would had seen the small lost boy that Jack actually was. If he hadn't been so thickheaded maybe he could had saved Jack from the loneliness, from the pain of not being wanted.

Bunny had never felt so ashamed in his whole life, he felt like a monster.

Even after how badly they had treated Jack, he had saved them. He had fought for them while they had never done such a thing for him. He had acted without expecting anything in return and he had continued to fight for them, even when they blamed him for the whole Easter fiasco.

But Jack wasn't to blame, Bunny knew that now.

It had all been Pitch fault, but Bunny had been to blinded by rage to even notice that. Not until it was too late. And the other Guardians had acted none the better. They had all blamed Jack, leaving no room for him to explain what had really happened. They had blamed him, and Jack had suffered for something that wasn't his fault.

Bunny knew they had to mend their mistakes quickly, before it was too late.

Turning back to the other Guardians he realized that they had yet to notice Jack's absence. Were they all really that blind? Were they really unable to notice that their youngest member was missing?

"Oi, mates!"

The three other Guardians immediately stopped their chattering and turned to their furry friend, surprised to see his defeated expression. Tooth immediately flew over to the Pooka with worry shining in her eyes.

"Bunny, what's wrong? Don't you feel well? Are you in pain anywhere?"

Bunny shook his head and sighed. "I'm fine, Tooth. But...Jack left."


	3. Love Makes A Family Chapter 3

_**Yay, next part! This chapter is a little shorter, but there is still more waiting. So let me know what you guys think and I will try to have the next chapter up when I'm not almost passing out from lack of sleep.**_

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The Pooka's words left the three stunned. They could merely stare at the large bunny for several moments, before North was able to snap out of their trance-like state. The Cossack turned to the large wooden door and just stared at it. It was as if he for the first time noticed that it was closed and that Jack was indeed nowhere to be found.

"But why did boy leave?"

Bunny looked at the large man with a broken expression, an expression North had only seen two times in his immortal life.

"Think back, mate." The Pooka whispered. "What did ya say when we walked inside?"

North looked confused at first but then when he realized what Bunny was talking about, the look on his face was one of pure terror. The other two Guardians seemed to realize it at the same time and guilt made its way to all their hearts. Tooth placed her hands over her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes.

"He-he-he...he thought he-he wasn't..."

"Welcome," Bunny ended her sentence, nodding his head.

"But why?" North asked.

If possible Bunny's expression turned into one that looked even more crushed and he turned look out of one of the large windows of the toy factory.

"He really doesn't have any reason to why he shouldn't leave. We never welcomed him before, so why should he think he should be welcomed now."

"But Jack's a Guardian now!" Tooth cried. "He's one of us, he's part of our family! He's always welcome!"

Bunny suddenly felt something hot, like a fire, ignite within his chest. His eyes darkened with rage as he grew angry with them not being able to understand. Why didn't they see it?

"But he doesn't know that!" Bunny snapped. "We never told him that, we never gave him a chance!" His fur bristled. "We never gave him a chance, even when he fought Pitch with us! We always treated him like some kind of mistake, just because what other spirits told us! We were no better than Pitch!"

Tooth flew back at the Pooka's outburst, having never experience Bunny snapping at her before. It hurt her feelings, but she knew he was right. And that hurt her more, so much more.

North was shocked as well, but desperately tried to find something that wouldn't make him feel like a monster. But he knew there was nothing, there was no excuse for their actions.

"But Manny-"

"Screw Manny!" Bunny snarled. "He's just as bad as us, if not even worse! He made Jack the Spirit of Winter and then abandoned him to fend for himself, without telling him anything except for his name!"

Bunny huffed, his fur bristled with anger.

"I'm sure Manny had some great plan, he always has, but this time he went too far! He abandoned a child, as did we! A child, mate! The one thing we live to protect! We abandoned him and there is no excuses for that so don't try to tell me that we didn't do anything wrong!"

Bunny breathed heavily while his paws were clenched tightly by his sides, his emerald eyes nearly glowing with anger. The other Guardians were taken back, as it had been a long time since the last Pooka had lost his temper in such a way.

But that shock quickly turned to shame. They knew Bunny was right. They had abandoned a child when he needed them the most. They had hurt the boy that had wanted nothing more than to be accepted. They had crushed a child's heart for three hundred years and they couldn't blame anyone else but themselves. They had failed and it was all their fault.

Bunny glared at the other Guardians, beating himself up at the same time. He had been the worst of them, going after the child when he felt he needed to. All those harsh words, all those curses he had screamed at the boy, never realizing how wrong he was.

And Jack had taken it all. He had taken every harsh word the Pooka had ever thrown at him. Never had he flown away, he had always stayed until Bunny was done and left himself.

Bunny's rage was snuffed out like a candle as he realized why Jack had stayed all those times.

The boy had been so desperate for attention, for hearing someone talk to him, that he was willing to take that attention in any form it came. He had been so desperate that he had willingly taken Bunny's insults, just because it meant someone would talk to him, for someone to stop ignoring him if only for a few minutes.

Without sparing another moment Bunny turned and walked up to the door, pulling it open so hard it was nearly ripped from its hinges.

"Bunny, where are you going?"

Bunny threw a glance at the large man over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed. "I'm goin' to find him and set thing right, with or without ya'r help."

With that he walked outside and slammed the door shut behind him.


	4. Love Makes A Family Chapter 4

_**Okay, next part is ready. Sorry I didn't updated yesterday guys, but I started my new job after a night of four hours sleep so I was kind of dead on my feet. While I love the moon, I also hate it. Every time it's full moon or nearing it, I can't sleep. It's so freaking annoying!**_

 _ **But back to this chapter. The only warning I am giving you is that you should prepare yourselves for some strong feels.**_

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Jack walked through the snow, silently tears running down his cheeks until the froze upon his skin. He had been walking for several minutes but he didn't feel like flying away, not yet. He had left the factory far behind him, yet he could spot it in the distance. He wished he could go back, but he knew he had no place there.

Jack felt so stupid. He thought he was over it, that it wouldn't bother him anymore. He hadn't cried for several years, so why was he crying now? It wasn't like he hadn't expected it, not being wanted. He was never wanted, he should be use to it by now.

So why did it still hurt? Why couldn't the pain just go away?

The tears started to run faster and the boy's vision turned blurry from all the tears that threatened to spill. He suddenly felt weak in his legs, like they could no longer support him. He felt to his knees in the snow, clutching his staff tightly with both hands. And in the cold landscape of the North Pole, Jack Frost broke down.

A broken sob escaped his lips and as the first sob had made itself free, there were no stopping the others. Sob after sob spilled until Jack felt as if he was unable to breath. His body trembled and his staff fell to the snow covered ground as he wrapped his arms around himself, trying to bring himself some kind of comfort. His hands clutched the fabric of his hoodie as he choked back a sob, the tears never stopping.

Why couldn't the pain just go away? He wanted for it to be gone so badly, that it would disappear. But it never did, it only grew stronger. It was tearing him apart and Jack could do nothing to stop it.

Bunny's heart broken when he finally spotted the Winter Child. Jack was on his knees in the snow, hunched over, and hugging himself as sobs wracked his body. Bunny had never seen a child in such poor state and knowing it was partly his fault, made him hate himself even more than he had before.

He slid down from the hill he had currently been standing on and walked up behind the child, coming to a stopa few feet away.

"Jack?"

The boy spun around and stared up at the Pooka with wide eyes. And those eyes shattered the hardened warrior's heart. Jack usually crystal blue eyes were red from the hard crying and the many frozen tears on the boys cheeks didn't make Bunny's shame any easier to bear.

"Bu-Bunny, wh-what a-are yo-you do-doing he-here?"

Jack's shaking voice made the Pooka frown sadly and he walked the last steps, coming to sit on his hind legs beside the Winter Spirit.

"I'm here for ya, mate."

If possible Jack's face fell and he turned his gaze to the ground, trying to stop his body from trembling.

"Di-did I do-do some-something wro-wrong?"

Bunny had never heard someone speak with such small and broken voice. And it pained him that Jack thought the only thing way someone would talk to him was because he had done something wrong. Then again, he had no reason to think anything else.

Bunny's ears fell as he shook his head. "Na mate, ya done nothing wrong."

The boy's surprised expression nearly made Bunny's eyes tear up, but the Warrior pushed it down.

"Then why...?"

"I'm sorry the way I treated ya over all these years."

Jack turned to the Pooka with an confused pair of blue eyes. "Why?"

How much Bunny wished he could go back all those years and make things as they should have been. But he couldn't, which meat it was so much more important that he sat things right while he still had the chance.

"Because I shouldn't had acted the way I did towards ya. Ya never did anythig wrong and ya deserve to be treated like ya were. I was stupid, I listened to what the other spirits said about ya and I let that decided who ya were without giving ya a chance. And it was wrong of me."

Jack stared at the Pooka for several moments until he finally turned his gaze away. He let go of himself and rubbed his eyes with the fabric of his hoodie. He sniffled a couple of times and then played it the hem of the blue fabric.

"You shouldn't be sorry." The boy's whisper was so quiet, had it not been for Bunny's advanced hearing, he would have missed it. "I am nothing more than trouble, nothing more than an mistake. Nobody wants to be around me for a reason, I should be treated like everyone treats me. I don't want to but...it is suppose to be that way."

New tears stared their way down the boy's cheeks and he buried his face in his hands as his body started trembling again.

"I'm sorry for being such a bother, I'm so sorry! I tried to do things right, but I just couldn't! I really tried, I'm so sorry!"


	5. Love Makes A Family Chapter 5

_**Alright, the next part. Sorry about it being a few days, but my new job and lack of sleep have made me 'dead on feet'.**_

 _ **Enjoy and I will try to get the last chapter up soon.**_

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A tear made is way down Bunny's furry cheek as he gathered the Winter Child up in his arms. Jack immediately clung to him, gripping his fur in a tight grip, as if he was afraid to let go. And Bunny knew at that moment that Jack truly was afraid. Afraid of letting go, afraid of being alone.

The Pooka stroke the boy on top of the head and gently shushed him.

"Ya're not a bother, Jack. Shh, it's alright, ya did nothing wrong. Nothing to be sorry for, nothing at all Jackie."

It was then, while he was holding the wailing child, that Bunny understood just how much worse their actions actually had been. Jack was a boy, a boy longing for nothing more than a family. They could have given him that, they could have given him a home.

But they hadn't, they had all left him to fend for himself.

How many times had he cried and tried to comfort himself? How many times had he failed? How many times had he tried to interact with others, only to be pushed as far away as possible? How many times had he been hurt and forced to tend to himself when no one else would?

Bunny hugged the boy tighter and buried his nose in the snow white hair. It was then he noticed how thin the boy actually was, he swore he could feel every bone in his body.

Bunny's tears welled over when realization hit him. Jack was only skin and bones because he had partly been starved for over three hundred years. He had obviously eaten something and Bunny could only guess those small pieces was from what the boy had managed to steal. Jack couldn't grown food because of his powers and neither could he cook, Jack had no other choice but to steal what little food he could.

Bunny forced down a growl.

One of the reasons why the boy was on the naughty list was because he did something he was forced to do to stay alive. He had been forced upon that bloody list because he had tried to make it through the day. It was another proof of their ignorance, another proof how much the boy had suffered.

Bunny had never hated himself more than at that moment, not even when he let his own race down. Because this time he could have saved the boy, but he hadn't. He had done nothing but cause the boy more grief, more pain.

"...I don't want to be alone anymore..."

Bunny nearly missed Jack's soft words, but he could easily hear the pain in the boy's voice. He rubbed the child's back and pressed his nose against his forehead.

"Ya're not alone, anymore. Ya will never be alone again, I will make sure of that."

Jack clung to him, as if he was scared of it being a lie. He wanted so badly to believe the Pooka, but he couldn't bring himself to do so.

He was so scared, scared of being left behind, of being pushed away again…of being given everything he could have ever wanted only for it to cruelly taken away at the last minute. If it happened he knew he wouldn't be able to survive, if it happened he would shatter until it was simply nothing left.

As if reading his thoughts Bunny ran his paw through the boy's hair and shushed him, meeting crystal blue eyes with his own emerald ones.

"Listen on me, ya will never be alone again, never. I will always be there for ya, Jackie. No matter what the time might be. We're family now and family stick together, forever . I promise."

Jack's tears slowed and he slowly lifted his head from the Pooka's chest, looking up at emerald colored eyes. Several seconds went by without either of them saying a word, until Jack tilted his head to the side and spoken in a quiet voice.

"...you promise?"

A small smile broke out on Bunny's expression and he hugged the child tightly.

"I promise, Jackie." He looked up and noticed that the day had started to reach its end. "Come on, let's get back inside."

The Pooka stood up and held out his paw for Jack to take. The boy hesitated for a moment, but after grabbing his staff he accepted the outreached paw and was pulled to his feet. Bunny placed his paw on Jack's back and started to guide him back towards the large building.

As they came closer Jack started to slow down until he came to a full stop, his gaze at the ground. Bunny stopped as well and turned to the boy with a worried expression.

"What's wrong, mate?"

Jack's grip around his staff tightened as he took a step back. "...what if the others doesn't want me..."

He trailed off but Bunny didn't need him to finish his sentence, he knew what the boy was thinking. He walked to the boy's side and raised his chin until their eyes met.

"They want ya as family as well, we all want ya. And if they don't ya will come with me to the Warren and we will be a family. We won't talk to them or meet them, and we will stay together for as long as ya want."

As a small smile made its way to the boy's lips, Bunny could have sworn his heart leaped in his chest. He knew then that a child like Jack should always be smiling, because he deserved it.

They continued on their way towards the factory when Bunny felt a small hand slip into his paw, holding onto him. Bunny said nothing but tightened his hold around the hand as well, to show Jack that he wouldn't let go.


	6. Love Makes A Family Chapter 6

_**Okay, here it is. The last chapter of Love makes a Family. I hope you have all liked it and I will soon be uploading new stories.**_

 _ **So tell me what you think and happy reading!**_

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The three Guardians waited restlessly for the other two members return. They had all wanted to follow Bunny, but they knew they couldn't. They knew it would have been overwhelming for Jack if they all came rushing after him and it would most likely have scared him off.

As the large door opened the three of them spun around, hoping that Bunny had been able to find Jack. And their hopes were answered. In the doorway stood the last Pooka, holding the Winter Spirit by the hand. Jack was nervously looking down at the floor, refusing to meet any of their gazes. Bunny gently tried to nudge the boy inside, but Jack shook his head and took a step back.

"...n-n-no," he whispered. "N-N-North said not to let th-the co-cold in-inside...I-I'm no-not welcome..."

Hearing the boy's broken voice caused every older Guardians' heart to shatter. North immediately moved forward, kneeling before the boy.

"I am sorry Jack. I did not thought before I spoke." He laid his hand on Jack's shoulder, ignoring the wince from the boy. "Jack Frost will always be welcome here, nothing would make me happier."

Jack looked up at the man with an unconvinced expression, as if he had a hard time believing North's words. But after a few seconds, Jack managed a small smile and nodded slightly.

"Thank you."

North felt tears well up in his eyes. Never had he noticed how small Jack really was, that he was only a child. He opened his arms in an invitation and after a few moments of hesitation, Jack let go of Bunny's paw and leaned into North's embrace.

North hugged the boy tightly, thinking how well the boy seemed to fit within his arms, as if he truly belonged there. North knew that from that moment, he would never let the boy go. He would never abandon Jack again.

As they let go, Tooth fluttered over slowly not to scare Jack and grabbed his hands in hers.

"I am so sorry too, Jack. I know I don't really deserve your forgiveness, but I hope can someday show you how much I care. I'm sorry for ignoring you all these past years, but I can promise you that it will never happen again. We are a family now and I will protect you no matter what, my sweet little Sweet Tooth."

She brought him into a hug and to her big surprise Jack hugged her back.

"...thank you."

The fairy was taken aback by Jack's words and found herself unable to speak. She only hugged him tighter as she ran her fingers through his hair. She promised herself never to repeat the same mistake. She would be there for Jack.

After a few moments, they let go and Sandy was quick to take Tooth's place. He created several images, trying to tell the Winter Spirit just how sorry he was. No one was really able to keep up with the Dream Giver's pace but Jack smiled any way, as if he knew what the small man was trying to tell him.

"It's alright, Sandy. You don't have to apologize."

Sandy looked like he wanted to argue but instead he locked his small arms around the child's chest, gathering him up in a hug Jack quickly returned.

As they let go of each other Sandy flew back and Jack looked at the older Guardians, nervousness clear in his blue eyes. He looked up at Bunny as if silently asking what to do and the Pooka gave him a nod.

Jack's grip around his staff tightened and he took a deep breath. Slowly the boy took a step inside, his foot coming to rest on the soft carpet. But before he took another step he looked up at North. The large man gave the boy a smile and gave him a nod, encouraging him to continue.

Jack felt as if his body was screaming at him, telling him to turn around and go back outside where he belonged. But he found that his heart was telling him the exact opposite. It told him to take another step inside, that he would be welcomed.

And for the first time in his lifetime as a Winter Spirit, Jack let his heart tell him what to do rather than his body.

He took another step inside followed by two more until he stopped, hearing Bunny close the door. Jack froze for a moment, staring at his feet that were surrounded by the soft carpet and tried to get his heart to slow down. He noticed someone kneeling in front of him and as he looked up, he saw North before him with his large arms open.

"Welcome home, son."

The staff clattered to the floor and Jack threw himself into North's waiting arms, the Guardian of Wonder quickly wrapping his arms around the boy. Jack pulled himself around the man's neck, holding onto for dear life as he finally broke down in sobs. The others joined in as well and they stayed like that for a long time, holding onto each other.

As they pulled away Jack rubbed his eyes and looked up at the older Guardians. "...yo-you really want me?"

It was a simple question but it meant so much more. The older Guardians smiled at the boy and Bunny laid his paw on Jack's shoulder.

"Yeah, mate. We do."

And for the first time in his immortal life, Jack felt happy. He finally belonged somewhere, he had finally found a family.

He wouldn't have to be alone anymore.

North broke the silence with a loud laugh. "Let us celebrate, for victory and for new family member. We shall have feast!"

Somehow Bunny felt really relieved to hear the jolly man mention food, for it would mean Jack would finally get the food he had missed out on for three hundred of years. Bunny could only image North's reaction when he found out how malnourished Jack actually was. The man would probably make the boy a feast every time Jack was the tiniest bit hungry.

Bunny chuckled as he saw North lift Jack into his arms and carry the boy towards the dining hall. Everything would be alright. It would take time, but they would get there. Because Jack was their family and they would fight for him.

Bunny then followed the rest, as his hunger made itself known.

* * *

The four older Guardians stood quiet as they watched their youngest member sleep. The feast had lasted through the entire day, but as the evening had started to draw closer, Jack had started to have trouble keeping his eyes open.

North had picked the boy up and carried him to one of the many unused bedrooms of his home. He had placed the boy on the bed as Tooth had opened the large windows to allow the cold inside. Bunny had pulled the covers over the boy's body and Sandy had sent some nice dreams towards the boy.

And just as Jack had been about to fall asleep he had smiled at them and whispered a quiet 'thank you'.

They all knew the boy would sleep until the morning thank to Sandy's Dreamsand, but they still felt reluctant to leave. They were afraid that if they did, the boy wouldn't be there in the morning. They feared he would leave before anyone of them could stop him.

They knew the possibility was slim but as long as it was there, they would fear it.

They had just realized how much they actually cared for the Winter Spirit, how much they loved him. He was their little Snowflake, their little Sweet Tooth, their Sweet Dreams, their boy. He was their little brother, their son.

They all swore Jack would never be abandoned again, never would he feel like he didn't belong. They would make sure of that. If he was ever threatened, they would protected him and beat the crap of whoever dared to hurt their youngest family member.

They knew it would be a long time until Jack would fully trust them but they were willing to wait, for their little boy was worth it.


	7. Cookies for a Father

**_Okay, first off I want to thank everyone for all the wonderful reviews, they really mean everything to me._**

 ** _Alright, moving on. This one focus on the father-son relationship between North and Jack. Hope you all enjoy it!_**

* * *

North would have lied if he didn't say he was beginning to get a bit concerned, if not worried. He had not seen Jack for over three hours, not even as much as a tiny snowflake. And he knew that the Winter Spirit hadn't left the Pole, Jack would always tell him before he left.

He had searched high and low, even going so far as to look outside and in the stables. But no matter where he looked he wasn't able to find the immortal teenager. And it worried him. It wasn't that he didn't trust Jack, it was simply that the boy had always had a...misfortune of getting into trouble, even when he tried to stay out of it.

North shivered as he remembered the last time he had lost track of Jack. The whole east section of the building had been covered with a five feet deep sheet of snow, including his own bedchamber. It had been an accident and North had never blamed the boy to being with.

But Jack had apologized for hours, thinking that the man was angry with him. It had even gone so far that Jack had left with tears streaming down his cheeks, promising to never bother North again.

It had taken the North hours to locate the boy and coax him back to the Pole. It had taken several days, if not weeks, to get Jack to believe that North wasn't angry.

The Cossack knew Jack was still getting used to be around others who cared about him, which was one of the reasons he wanted to avoid another disaster, accidental or not. The boy's trust was still fragile.

North huffed as he walked down the hall, thinking back to the places he had already searched. Maybe he had missed some place or maybe he hadn't been looking well enough. Perhaps Jack was hiding under a bed or in a wardrobe for some reason, it wouldn't be the first time.

He rubbed his neck and shouted orders to the yetis as he passed several work stations, but his mind was only half focused on the task. While he knew Jack did his best to behave, he was worried.

What if the immortal teenager had gotten hurt? What if something bad had happened?

As he walked down the next hall he came to a sudden stop, sniffing the air. The smell was weak, but consistent. The man wrinkled his nose at the smell, smelling like a mix of something burning and chocolate. It was smell he recognized, but still was a bit unfamiliar with.

He rarely smelled it after all, the yetis never burned cookies. They were far too excellent at cooking for something like that to happen.

He walked up to the kitchen doors and pushed them open, knowing that he had to get some answers on what was happening. First Jack seems to disappear from the surface of the Earth and now something was burning in the kitchen.

But as soon as he stepped into the cooking area, he came to a grinding halt.

The large room was a complete mess. Everything was covered in what seemed to be a mix of flour, sugar, cocoa and milk. There were crushed blueberries covering the cupboards and some parts of the floor. Pots and other kitchen devices were scattered across the room and...

...was that eggs in the ceiling?

"North?"

Said man looked away from the ceiling to find the Winter Spirit he had been looking for. Jack stood by the large island, holding a plate with cookies that looked newly baked and that, which to the Cossack's surprise, actually smelled really pleasant.

Jack then moved away from the island and rushed up to the large man, bringing the plate of cookies with him. He held the plate out towards North and smiled brightly.

"You want a cookie? I made them myself because you said you loved chocolate cookies but you didn't like the ones the elves made, so I figured I would try it myself but it wasn't easy, because I have never baked before and the oven was really hard to figure out at first, but then I did but I don't really like the heat that much but it wasn't that bad, and I also put blueberries into the cookies because I really love blueberries and I guessed you like blueberries too, because you seem like someone who likes blueberries, so I figured it would make the cookies even tastier."

The immortal teenager drew in a gasp of air.

"You want one?"

North blinked, staring at the boy before him.

Jack was wearing a Christmas decorated apron that easily reached down to his bare feet, the sleeves of his hoodie rolled up to his elbows. His cheeks were smeared with flour and crushed blueberries, the front of his hair colored light brown from the cacao powder. He was wearing a pair of much too large oven gloves and one his head he had a cooking hat, that North suspected was Phil's seeing that it would glide down the boy's forehead every time he moved.

North knew he should be upset at the mess that used to be his kitchen, but with Jack simply beaming at him with that rare true smile, Father Christmas couldn't even force himself to act angry. Jack had gone through all that trouble just for him, because one little complain that the elves cookies wasn't to his liking.

Instead he smiled back at the boy and took one of the newly bakes cookies, popping it into his mouth. He chewed and was surprised to find that it had to be one of the best cookies he had ever eaten.

He eyes widened and he went back to staring at the Winter Spirit, trying to figure out who someone who had never own a kitchen could bake so well.

Jack's happiness faltered slightly as North stared at him with those wide eyes. The man had yet to say a word and he had stopped chewing several moments ago. Perhaps the cookies had been really bad. The Winter Spirit knew he was no expert in any way, but he had hoped the cookies would be to the jolly man's taste.

"...you don't like them?"

North snapped out of his frozen state and noticed that Jack had grown uncertain. The boy looked nervous and was chewing his lower lip, his shoulder slumped slightly in defeat. North knew then the boy thought he had disappointed the Cossack, which was something North knew he had to change quickly.

He took the plate from the boy's hand and brought the boy into a one armed hug, swinging him around as he laughed loudly.

"Jack, my boy! These cookies are the best I ever tasted!"

Jack's face split into a grin and he hugged the man back.

"Really? You like them?"

North managed to ruffle the snow white locks of the boy's hair.

"Yes, I never lie about cookies. Now come, you must show me how to make these masterpieces."

Jack beamed at the man and leaped from his hug, dragging the Cossack towards the counters as he began to explain how to make the cookies. North smiled the whole time, stress about toy making and deadlines washing away as he spent time with the boy he had grown to consider his son.


	8. Flowers for a Mother

**_Okay, on with the next one. Yay!_**

 ** _This one is focusing on the mother-son relationship between Tooth and Jack , which I love._**

 ** _So let me know what you think and I will try to update soon!_**

* * *

Tooth was not happy, something which rarely happened. She was known to be fairly happy at all times and not quick to take to anger. She was patient and understanding most of the time. She was also very forgiving and not one to stay angry for long, as she actually didn't like to be angry.

However, that was not the case at the moment.

The reason?

Her adopted son, Jack.

They were currently having a meeting that was very important to her, as it had to do with her Tooth Palace. Or they were trying to have a meeting, but they hadn't even been able to get started, seeing that a certain Winter Spirit had yet to show up.

And Tooth was almost fuming. She had talked to Jack the previous day and told him how important the meeting was to her and that she had insisted for him to be there. And Jack had promised. He had told her he would be there in time, ready to take part.

And yet, he had broken that promise.

Slamming her hands down on the table, Tooth got up from her seat and started flying back and forth, much like someone pacing. The three males stayed at the table and continued to play cards, neither of them making any movements to calm the fairy. If it was something they had learned over their many years, it was that you did not cross an angry Tooth.

Not if you had a death-wish anyways.

"Where is he?! He promised he would be here, in time!"

North shot a glance at his friend and laid down another card on the table.

"Boy probably just lost track of time." He frowned at the card Sandy laid down. "He will be here any moment."

Tooth huffed and continued her 'pacing'. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the window, as if daring Jack to come through it. If he did, she would ground him for the rest of his immortal life.

"Give it a break, Tooth." Bunny laid down a card that outclassed Sandy's. "Besides, the window have never done anything wrong."

Tooth only sent the Pooka a glare, given him a silent warning. She was in no mood to be told to calm down and she wasn't afraid to show it.

The window was suddenly blown open by a gust of wind and a certain Winter Spirit landed on the floor moments later, a big grin on his face. He held his hand behind his back, together with his staff. It was easy to see that he was hiding something, but despite it being obvious it was actually something Tooth missed.

She zipped over to her adopted son and glared down at him, her arms still crossed over her chest. Jack however continued to smile at her, as if without a worry in the world, which only caused Tooth's anger to increase.

"Jack, where have you been? I can't believe you did this! You are-"

Her rant was cut short as Jack brought out a bouquet of flowers from behind his back and held it out for her to take. Tooth stared at flowers, taken away by their beauty. It had to be one of the most beautiful bouquet of flowers she had ever seen.

And Jack was given them to her?

The bouquet consisted crystal white cymbidium orchids that almost seemed to gleam just as pure as Jack's own freshly fallen snow, richly pink mokara orchids that had the same color as her very own eyes, beautiful lavender hydrangeas which almost glimmered like her own wings, roses that were the same rich blue colors as her son's eyes, burgundy dahlias which was as red as North's coat and soft pink chrysanthemums.

Tooth stared at the bouquet for a moment longer and then turned to stare at Jack, seeing that he was still smiling towards her. She felt her heart warm, his smile making her speechless.

Jack smiled at his adopted mother, happy to see that she was at loss of words at the present he had brought her. He had hoped it would make her happy, even if the gift had meant that he had gotten late to the meeting.

"I'm sorry I'm late, I really am." Jack looked down shyly. "But on my way over I saw these flowers and they reminded me about you, so I thought you would like them. I also stopped at Jamie's and made you a card."

It was then Tooth noticed the card among the flowers. It was easily noticeable as handmade, but it was also clear that Jack had put a lot of thought and care into it. That explained why it had taken the boy longer to get to the meeting, he had made a gift for her.

She plucked the card from the flowers and carefully opened it. Her eyes widened at the letters that met her. Tears of joy rose to her eyes and a soft smile reached her lips, a warm feeling wrapping itself around her very heart.

The words 'To the best Mom in the world' meant more to her than anything. While everyone knew that Tooth viewed Jack as her son and Jack viewed her as his mother, he had never admitted it out loud. This was the closest he had come to accept her as his mother. She couldn't be more happier.

Leave it up to Jack to prove her wrong.

He laid the bouquet into her arms and called upon the Wind, his friend immediately picking him up. He flew to Tooth's side and before she could even blink, he placed a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Best Mom in the world."

The kiss left Tooth dazed, the only thing still able to move being her wings. Jack moved past her, saying something about wanting cookies. But Tooth couldn't bring herself to remind him what the sugar would do to his perfect teeth.

He had actually called her his mother, he had accepted her. She couldn't believe it, he had accepted her as his mother. She had never been so happy, her son loved her enough to call her mother.

She looked over at her boy, seeing him argue lightly with Bunny. She realized he meant the world to her and she didn't know what she would do if she lost him. And she would make sure she would never lose him, not as long as she lived.

She looked down at the flowers and smiled, taking in their soft scent. They were beautiful, but they could never match the beauty of her son when he smiled at her. She made her way to find a vase and smiled to herself. She couldn't even remember why she had been so angry with Jack.


	9. Golden Dreams

_**Okay, so here's the next one and it focus on the Grandfather-Grandson relationship between Sandy and Jack, which I have really come to enjoy.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy it, and now I'm off to bed. I have work tomorrow and I hope to get more than four hours of sleep. Sleep deprivation sucks.**_

* * *

Sandy placed his cup down on the table with a silent sigh, rubbing his forehead as he felt a headache beginning to form. The meeting had been going on for over an hour and the Guardian of Dreams had grown tired of it after the first ten minutes.

Why?

Because North and Bunny were at their usually banter of which holiday was the best.

And Sandy was freaking tired of it.

He couldn't remember how many years the banter had been going on, but he knew they were many. And he frantically didn't see the point of the whole thing, it wasn't like it mattered. For all he knew, it had nothing with protecting the Earth's children.

Deciding to take a look around for something to occupy his time with until his colleagues were finished, he first noticed Tooth. The Queen was fluttering around in the large room, never able to be still as usual and giving orders to her fairies, sending them to collect teeth.

Moving on, he spotted Phil. The yeti stood at the side of the large table, holding a tray which was lined with cups of eggnog. The furry creature let out a huff of air and rolled his eyes at the loud shouting, clearly bored about the whole situation.

Sandy then looked to his right and smiled, amused at what he saw.

The youngest Guardian was slumped forward in his seat, most of his upper body laying on top of the table as he used his arms as a pillow. His eyes were closed and his mouth open slightly, drool traveling down the Winter Spirit's cheek as he snored softly.

Jack showed no reaction to the loud voices in the room and merely draped one of his arms over his head, the boy letting out a content sigh. His shoulders rose and lowered with his calm breathing and the boy looked so comfortable despite the hard surface which he was draped across.

Sandy was about the send the boy some dreams when North's hand slammed down on the table, jolting Jack from his sleep. The Winter Spirit sat up startled, confused and clearly not yet awake.

"Uh-Huh-Wa?"

Jack's hair was more ruffled than usual, some of the locks defying gravity and standing straight out while others where pressed against the boy's head. His normally bright blue eyes were glazed over with sleep and drool hung out from the corner of his mouth.

Sandy glared at Bunny and North, the two of them still arguing loudly and neither having noticed that they had awoken the youngest Guardian. He should thrown a ball of sand at them for doing that, for disturbing the Winter Spirit when Jack had been so comfortable.

The golden man rose from his seat and glided over to Jack, the boy smiling as Sandy sat down on a cloud of Dream Sand beside him.

"Hey, Sandy." The boy's voice was still thick with sleep. "Did I miss something?"

Sandy smiled and shook his head. He then created the image of a bed, followed by a clock and ending with a question mark.

Jack, in his turn, had noticed the drool and wiped it away with the sleeve of his hoodie. He then looked at the oldest Guardian, biting his lip in thought.

"How long has it been since I slept?"

As Sandy nodded, the Guardian of Fun shrugged his shoulders.

"It depends."

Sandy tilted his head in confusion and made a another question mark, urging the boy to continue. Jack however, smirked nervously.

"Which week it is?"

Sandy's eyes widened instantly in alarm, a feeling of dread settling in the pit of his stomach. He waved his arms frantically, sand images flashing over his head in a speed that made it impossible for anyone to understand what he was 'saying'.

Jack chuckled at his friend's action and gestured with a wave of his hand for the oldest Guardian to calm down, while he leaned his cheek into his other hand.

"Calm down, little man. You're getting worried over nothing."

Sandy did not agree.

As the Guardian of Dreams, Sandy was very aware of how important sleep was. Granted, as immortals they could go a long time without proper sleep but they still needed it. And if Jack had gone weeks without rest, there was no surprise to why the teenager was so tired.

Sandy blamed himself for not noticing earlier. It was what he did for MiM's sake. His Dream Sand may be reserved for the World's children, but Sandy counted Jack into that category very much so. Stuck at the age of forever fourteen, Jack was still a child and as such it was Sandy's job to protect the boy.

Deciding that enough was enough, Sandy reached forward and grabbed the Winter Spirit's by his right ear. Yanking the boy out of his seat, Jack gave a cry of surprise as he was forcefully dragged across the room.

"What the-Sandy, let go! That hurts, you know! Ao, hey!"

Sandy ignored the boy's protests and dragged him out of the room, leading him to Jack's own bedroom.

The rest of the Guardians in the room stared after them, the sudden change having even broken North and Bunny out of their banter. The three stared at the now open door and the Pooka slowly looked at Father Christmas.

"What just happened?"

North could only shrug his shoulders.

"I have no idea."

* * *

Jack pouted as he glared at Sandy, the Guardian of Dreams glaring right back at him. This had been going on for the last ten minutes, ever since Sandy had dragged the Winter Spirit to the boy's room.

Jack was sitting up in his bed, leaning against the bed's headboard with his arms crossed over his chest. Sandy, in his turn, was perched on the footboard, his arms mimicking that of the Winter Spirit.

And why were they doing this?

Simple. Jack refused to go to sleep.

The boy refused, no matter what Sandy 'said'. It had taken a long time just to get Jack to sit down in his bed, which had only happened once Sandy had actually thrown the immortal teenager into the bed and threatened throw the boy out the window without his staff if he didn't stay down.

Now all Sandy had to figure out was how to get Jack to sleep.

He knew he could simply put the boy to sleep with the Dream Sand, but something told him there was a reason to why Jack didn't want to sleep. And that something was what he needed to figure out.

"Sandy." Jack gritted out. "This is getting ridiculous. If I don't want to sleep, I don't have to."

Sandy had to disagree and as the Guardian of Dreams he figured he had the authority to do just that. So he shook his head and sat up straighter, his glare growing harder and more concern.

Jack let out a irritated growl and threw his hands up in defeat, slumping against his pillows.

"This is stupid." Jack muttered. "I don't need sleep."

The dark rings under the boy's eyes told Sandy differently. The oldest Guardian knew Jack was in desperate need of sleep, and yet the boy was refusing it. It was all so confusing to him.

So Sandy created a image of a bed, followed by an X and ending the silent sentence with a question mark. Jack looked at the golden man with irritation, but that quickly slipped away and the Winter Spirit turned his gaze to the bed's cover.

"…I…" Jack began uncertainly. "…I can't sleep…not more than a few minutes at the time. I…I have…nightmares."

Sandy was nothing less than horrified. To hear that Jack, their boy, was suffering from nightmares, crushed the oldest Guardian. Sandy felt like he had failed, as a Guardian, as a friend. As a grandfather.

Jack was family and as the oldest Guardian, Sandy viewed Jack as a grandson. He loved the young Spirit as any grandfather would and to see Jack suffer from something he was suppose to protect every child from, it killed him in a way.

Jack raised his gaze slightly and noticed Sandy's crushed expression, immediately feeling guilty. He knew he shouldn't have said anything, he should just have kept t to himself.

"Sandy…don't blame yourself. This isn't your fault."

Sandy shook his head, disagreeing. No matter what Jack said, Sandy knew he had failed.

The oldest Guardian's eyebrows lowered in determination. No more, he would not allow the nightmares to continue. He would chase the boy's fears away, even if he had to do it for the rest of his immortal life.

Smiling softly, Sandy floated over to the boy's side and pushed him so Jack was laying down. He then pulled the cover up to Jack's chin and ruffled the boy's white locks, smirking with love as the teenager leaned into the gentle touch.

"Sandy…" Jack mumbled as his eyes began to drift shut, his mind growing tired as Sandy's magic chased his fears away. "Thanks…"

The oldest Guardian patted the boy's head as Jack's eyes slid close, sleep finally taking its claim of the exhausted Winter Spirit. Jack turned so he laid on his side and snuggled up, a smile on his lip as a scene of Dream Sand began over his head.

As Sandy settled on the edge of the bed, he couldn't help but chuckle silently as he saw the two sand figures dancing above the boy's head. It was him and Jack, the boy chasing after dolphins Sandy created.

Drawing his hand through the boy's hair, he smiled at the Winter Spirit that had won his heart so easily. He would stay there through the night, making sure the boy got a good night's rest. The World's children would have to go one night without dreams. Jack needed him the most, so at the boy's side he would be.

He would protect his boy.


	10. A Brother's Melody

**_So moving on, we have now reached Brother-relationship between Bunny and Jack, one of my personal favorites in fact._**

 ** _Oh, if you would like to hear the song I used as inspiration, search for Stonewall - Atholl Highlanders, etc - Scots Irish/Ulster Scots folk music_**

 ** _So enjoy and tell me what you think!_**

* * *

Bunny stilled as the music reached his ears, the brush in his paw hovering over the egg he was currently painting. He stared ahead, taken by the sudden tones that filled his home. It had been so long since music had traveled over the green landscape around him, but the music felt so at home, as if it had never stopped playing all those years ago.

Getting up, the Pooka abounded the egg he been so fixated with only moments before and began moving towards the sound, wanting to know where it was coming from. He traveled quickly across the hills, nearing the river of colors.

He perched himself on top of a large stone, gazing out across his home. What he was met with was something he could never have prepared himself for. While it made him happy, it confused him as well.

Jack was jumping across a small trail, his steps light and graceful as always. To his lips he held a flute, the small instrument clearly made of ice as it seemed to almost glister in the light that surrounded everything in the Warren. Behind him followed unpainted eggs in a line, almost jumping along at the immortal teenager's tones.

Bunny was taken completely by surprise of what he was seeing. He had never seen Jack play any instrument before and he had not been aware that the boy had any kind of musical talent. But while it was a surprise, it was a welcomed one.

The Pooka had not realized how much he had missed the sound of music as it traveled across the green hills he so proudly called home. He had not known how much he actually hated the silence he so often found himself in. He had told himself for so long that he enjoyed the silence, but once it was chased away, he realized how much he hated it.

The silence scared him, a constant reminder that he was the last of his kind, that he was alone. The thought of him being alone for the rest of eternity terrified him so much he hid his fears behind closed walls. He acted like nothing could hurt him, but the truth was that one the inside he was a small little bunny wishing for someone to rescue him.

He sat down and smiled as he saw Jack lead the unpainted eggs towards the river of paint, the googies following him. The sweet tune never stopped, instead continuing to fill the Warren with its soft melody.

He could listen to the beautiful tune all day long, letting it take him away from the world of worry and stress. Let it take his fears away and make him forget how alone he was in the place he had called home for so long.

The googies and stone guards where always there to keep him company, but it just wasn't the same thing. It didn't felt the same and they were never able to chase away the feeling of loneliness. They weren't able to save him.

But seeing Jack, dancing down the path and filling the Warren with the magical music, made the Pooka's worries ease from his mind, until they were completely forgotten. Bunny wasn't scared anymore and he didn't feel alone.

Bunny stood up on all four and went after the boy, feeling something he hadn't felt in a very long time. He felt happy and so full of energy. He felt as if he could jump to the moon and back. The music Jack had brought into his home had filled him with new life.

He came up alongside the boy, hoping his sudden appearance wouldn't frightened the immortal teenager. But Jack only smiled through his playing of the flute and continued leading the googies. Bunny smiled and slid himself under the boy, placing the white haired teenager on his back, much like he had done with Sophie when she had arrived to his Warren.

The boy was light as a feather, almost feeling lighter than the little girl had been. Together the two of them continued towards the river, the unpainted eggs traveling close behind. Bunny walked with a sudden energy in his step he hadn't had in a long time, the soft music warming him to his heart.

They reached the riverbank and Bunny laid down in the soft grass, surrounded by all kinds of colorful flowers. Jack slid off his back, coming to sit on the ground as he leaned his back against the Pooka's side. His fingers flew lightly over the flute, the tunes filling the air perfectly.

The googies made their way into the river, following the rhythm from the instrument made out of ice. Bunny smiled and crossed his forearms, feeling his body relax. He looked towards the boy, seeing that Jack had closed his eyes. But the beautiful music never stopped.

Bunny let out a deep relaxed breath and laid his head upon his crossed forearms, closing his own eyes. But the smile remained on his lips, even as sleep came close to claim him.

The Pooka didn't care how the Winter Spirit had been able to sneak into his Warren, all he cared about was the boy was actually within his home. With him. They boy had come into his home and done something no one had ever done before.

The boy had chased his fears away.

At that moment Bunny wasn't worried, he wasn't scared and he wasn't alone. And he knew he would never have to be again.

He and Jack had moved past rivals, they had moved past friendship. They were so much more. They were family, they were brothers. Either of them would never have to experience loneliness ever again. They had each other.

Bunny curled himself around the boy. Jack had saved him from a life that would have destroyed him and the Pooka would forever be grateful. Jack had saved him when no one else would and had warmed his heart and soul. The boy had restored his own belief in hope.

The Pooka smiled softly to himself and let himself be lulled to sleep by the soft melody, knowing that this time there would be no nightmares.


	11. Cookies and Toothpaste

_**Okay, is a shorter one and it includes all of the Guardians, with a bit of Motherly Tooth but with a little more comedy.**_

 _ **So enjoy!**_

* * *

Something Jack had quickly come to realize when the North Pole had become his home after he became one of the Guardians, was that he absolutely loved cookies. It didn't matter what sort of cookie it was, he loved them all. As far as he was concerned they were a gift from heaven itself and he had no idea how he had survived three hundred years without them.

If he could he would eat them all the time and nothing else, a fact he was sure North would approve of, seeing how the jolly man seemed to live of cookies and fruitcakes himself. He could ask the man for one cookie, one, and North would immediately give him a whole plate of them.

Something the Winter Spirit had no problems with.

Sadly, not everyone seemed to feel the same.

It was a normal day at the Pole. Jack was sitting at the large table, happily stuffing his face with chocolate cookies while he waited for the meeting to begin. The only one who had yet to turn up was Tooth, which meant the rest of the Guardians were trying to pass the time in different ways.

Sandy was reading from a large book, sipping on some eggnog as he did. North and Bunny were arguing as always about who's holiday was the best, something Jack stopped caring about a long time ago.

He didn't understand why they argued. It wasn't like the twist would end anytime soon, seeing that neither Guardian was going to back down. Jack guessed he had do have a holiday of his own to understand.

Which made him all the happier that he hadn't one. Arguing all the time didn't seem fun at all.

So he just ignored them and continued to happily stuff his face. He held a cookie between his lips as he reached another one, only to stop as a voice came from across the room.

"Jackson Overland Frost! What do you think you are doing?!"

Everyone in the room turned to look towards the window to see Tooth, the fairy glaring towards the youngest immortal.

Jack's hand hovered over the plate of cookies as he stared at his adoptive mother, trying to figure out what was the best thing to do.

"What?" he mumbled behind the cookie in his mouth.

Judging by how Tooth's expression darkened, he came to the conclusion that it hadn't been the best choice from his part.

"You know how much sugar those cookies contain! I have told you not to eat those evil things!"

Jack frowned at the Guardian of Memories, pouting slightly with the cookie still between his lips. He knew he could argue, telling her that he could eat how many cookies he pleased and that -

\- Shit, she was getting closer!

The Winter Spirit flung himself from his seat, the chair falling to the floor. He sprinted across the room and into the busy workshop, Tooth hot on his heels with a toothbrush in one hand and a tube of toothpaste in the other. Where she had gotten them from, Jack had no idea and he wasn't sticking around to find out.

The rest of the Guardians stared at the open door, Bunny and North stunned into silence. A second later Jack rushed past the door opening, cookie still clutched between his lips. Tooth zipped past not a moment later, waving the toothbrush.

"Jackson Overland Frost, you let go of that cookie right now!"

Jack rushed past the open door a second time.

"Never!"

Bunny tilted his head before he turned to North.

"Should we help him?"

North stroke his beard and seemed to consider it for a moment, but then shook his head.

"No, I say we let boy handle it himself."

Bunny nodded and leaned back in his seat, plucking a cookie from the plate.

"I'm good with that, mate. But ya know Frostbite's gonna get back at ya, right?"

North only snorted.

"No worries."

North himself took another cookie and the three Guardians listened as Tooth continued to chase after Jack.

"I told you those evil things will rot your beautiful teeth!"

"But North said I could have as many as I wanted!"

There was a moment of silence, then the enraged cry from the Guardian of Memories that seemed to shake the whole building.

"NICHOLAS ST. NORTH!"

North spun around in his seat, his wide with fear the Guardian of Wonder not often possessed. Bunny let out a amused snort and smirked at Father Christmas.

"I think now's the time for ya to start worrying, mate."

It had been an amusing scene for everyone who had watched, from a safe distance of course. After all, it wasn't every day the Tooth Fairy chased Santa Claus trough the magical workshop, whacking a toothbrush to Father Christmas' head.

And on top of one of the many rafters, Jack Frost sat perched, the Guardian of Fun smirking as he munched on a cookie.


	12. A Guardian's Guardian

**_So this is the next one and it's the longest yet, so I do hope you enjoy it._**

 ** _All the Guardians are mentioned but it focus mainly on Jack an Bunny, with Bunny being a good protective big brother._**

 ** _(Warning: blood.)_**

* * *

Jack cried out as he was slammed into the trunk of the tree, pain spreading across his back. He fell to the ground but before he could make any movement to get up, a furry paw pressed down on the center of his back.

He cried out again as the claws tore though the fabric of his hoodie and dug into his flesh, drawing blood. Tears rushed to his eyes as he grit his teeth, trying to pull away from his attacker. But the paw held him in place.

The cruel laughter stung in his ears and the paw pressed down harder on his back, feeling as it would break his spine. He dug his fingers into the ground, trying to hold back the sob that rose in his throat.

"Not so cocky now, are you? Serves you right, you little pest."

Jack managed to turn his head, glancing at the animal. He was only a bit taller than the boy, but much larger in weight. In fact, he was rather fat. His fur coat was dirty brown, with a middle long tail trailing behind him. His eyes were cold and his smirk was cruel.

Jack came to understand why Bunny didn't like the Groundhog, but he guessed they could have different opinions for their dislike. His however was that the stupid rat had attacked him for no valid reason. All he had done was spreading snow in the area that was suppose to experience winter for another two weeks.

The immortal teenager glared up at the woodchuck, but cringed as his attacker put more pressure on his back.

"Let me go, you over-sized rat!"

The Groundhog growled at him and pushed down harder on the boy's back, drawing his claws backwards. Jack screamed as his skin was ripped open, blood running down his back. He kicked at the woodchuck, but his feet only met fat.

"Watch your tongue, boy! You should show me some respect."

Jack grit his teeth harder and snorted, managing to pull out one of his smirks.

"Yeah? What makes you think I should do that?"

"Because I'm better than you."

Jack felt like laughing out loud. Had he not been in pain, he probably would.

"I don't think so. I'm not gonna show respect to some fat ball of fur."

Jack found himself suddenly lifted off the ground and slammed back into the trunk of the tree, a paw holding him up by the throat. He grabbed the limb with both hands and tried to pry it away, but the owner held firm.

The Winter Spirit kicked his legs, but his actions was futile. His movements stopped immediately when the paw tightened around his throat, closing off his intake of air. He gasped as his eyes widened, his hands clawing at paw holding him.

"I warned you, you stinking brat! You will regret that you didn't listen!"

Jack wanted to give the woodchuck a sarcastic remark, but he was unable to gain any air. His lungs had begun to burn from the loss of oxygen and he was beginning to see stars. He needed air and he needed immediately.

The Groundhog laughed cruelly at the boy's distress, finding delight in the Winter Spirit's pain.

"It's time you learn your lesson."

He loosened his hold around the boy's throat only slightly, leaving the immortal teenager able to draw short gasps of air. He punched the boy in the face three times, once on the cheek, once on the forehead and once in the eye.

Jack shut his eyes tightly at the pain, but the tears still managed to escape and traveled down his cheeks. His face was hurting so badly as was his back, the wound still bleeding heavily. He wanted it to stop.

But the Groundhog was far from finished.

The woodchuck sliced his free paw across the Winter Spirit's chest, tearing through fabric and flesh. Jack cried out as those black claws created five small, yet painful, gashed across his chest, his torn hoodie immediately gaining a slickly copper color from the blood gushing out of the gashes.

The Groundhog then bit into his shoulder, his large buck teeth slicing through flesh and reaching the bone. Jack began sobbing, unable to take the torment and pain any longer. He screamed as the mammal withdrew his teeth, his shoulder burning with pain.

The Groundhog smirked down at the Winter Spirit, actually happy to see that his actions had brought the boy to tears.

"Had enough yet, boy?"

Jack nodded, his voice unable to bear any words. He wanted the torture to end, wanted the woodchuck to let him go. He wanted to be as far away from the mammal as possible and never come in contact with him again. He didn't care if it would interfere with his spreading of snow, he just wanted to go home.

The Groundhog let go of the boy and Jack fell down to the ground, his back pressed to the tree. He immediately wrapped his arms around himself, tears still running down his cheeks. He shielded himself away from the large mammal, afraid the beating would begin again.

"Make sure you have learned your lesson, or the next time we meet will be even more unpleasant."

Jack sniffled and nodded, staring at the Groundhog. Fear lingered in his blue eyes, making him seem younger than his fifteen immortal years. The skin of his face where the woodchuck had punched him had had begun to change color to a nasty purple, making his skin seem even paler than it was. One of the punches had caused him to gain a black eye, the area already slightly swollen.

The Groundhog turned away from the boy and opened a hole, the large mammal having a similar gift as the Easter Bunny. But while Bunny's tunnels were smooth, clean and filled with light, the Groundhog's were uneven, damp and dark.

Jack watched the woodchuck leave without another word, but only once the hole was closed did he dare to move. He uncurled and let his arms fall to his sides. He slowly stood up and wiped his cheeks with the sleeve of his now destroyed hoodie.

The immortal teenager felt new tears slip down his cheeks as he took in the actual state of his blue cloth. Blood and dirt stained the soft fabric so much that it was nearly impossible to see the original blue color. The fabric was so badly ripped that Jack knew it could never be mended, not even by North.

Jack knew that it was only a hoodie and that he had several others waiting to get used in the wardrobe back in his room at the North Pole, but that didn't matter. This was his hoodie and he loved his hoodie. It was a part of him and getting a part of yourself completely destroyed really hurt.

Knowing there was nothing he could do Jack limped over to his staff, his hand clutching his shoulder. The bite mark hurt most of all and had yet to be sealed by ice. The gashes on his back and chest had already stopped bleeding thanks to his powers creating a cover of frost over them, but the wound on his shoulder was too deep.

Picking up his staff, Jack pulled the hood over his head and dried away a few tears. He sniffled and cringed slightly when the action hurt his bruised face.

"Wind, please taken me home."

The Wind immediately picked up the Winter Spirit into her gently embrace and lifted him into the air, quickly escorting him to his home. She was furious with the Groundhog, but she had been unable to interfere, having been too far away. The only thing she could do now, was bring her Winter Child home safely.

They traveled quickly and reached the home of Santa Clause within a few moments, the coldness easing Jack's pain slightly. The Wind brought him to the window that always stood open for him, seeing how Jack was not yet comfortable with walking through doors.

The Wind gently settled her Winter Child down on his feet, Jack whispering softly in gratitude. She played with his hair like a loving mother, telling her Child of Winter how sorry she was. But Jack would never blame her, his heart was far too big for such an action.

Jack limped down the corridor, set to reach his room without being seen. He needed his shoulder cared for and he had a first aid kit hidden under his bed, so he wouldn't need to ask for help. He could take care of himself.

Voices made him stop and he looked down the corridor, seeing a door standing wide open. He recognized the voices of his family and they all sounded irritated. Catching a few words Jack cringed, knowing he was in trouble. He had forgotten about the meeting.

Jack looked down the opposite direction of the corridor, knowing that his room was just around the bend. He could easily continue on his way and avoid the other Guardians. Or he could just go back outside and bury himself in a snow bank.

"If Frostbite's not here in five minutes, I'm gonna track his ass down and kick it so hard he won't be able to sit for a month!"

And that idea instantly went out the window.

Jack huffed, knowing that Bunny would be able to track him. The giant bunny was like a bloodhound with that nose of his and his stubbornness didn't really play in Jack's favor. The boy really wanted to freeze Bunny's nose sometimes, in hope that it would stop working.

Jack knew he wouldn't be able to hide from his family. He could hide in Antarctica and the stupid kangaroo would still be able to find him. He pulled his hood tighter around him and limped towards the door, knowing that it was best to get it over with.

* * *

Bunny felt like punching North in the face, he really did. The Cossack was being an completely idiot, the man refusing to listen. What else was new? But this time the former thief was being too stubborn for his own good.

Jack was two hours late and the Cossack refused to knowledge that something was wrong, only saying that the Winter Spirit had just forgotten about time and that he should be there at any moment.

But Bunny knew that it was wrong, he knew something wasn't right. His whole inside was screaming at him to get up and find Jack. But North refused to listen and to Bunny's growing irritation, both Sandy and Tooth was agreeing with the Cossack.

"Now listen here ya old cookie-munching oaf!" Bunny glared at North. "I'm telling ya he should have been here now, so get off yar high horse and-"

"Bunny?"

The Pooka spun around at those quietly uttered words, the argument between him and North already forgotten. Jack stood in the open doorway, hidden slightly in the shadows. The boy's head was covered by the hood, hiding his face from view.

"Jack, you have arrived!" North called out. "Then let us get meeting started."

He, Sandy and Tooth moved towards the table, but Bunny stayed where he was. Something was very wrong, he could feel it in the air. Jack had yet to move, instead lowering his head and actually taking a step back, putting more distance between himself and the other Guardians.

Bunny frowned and his eyes narrowed as the scents reached his nose. The damp scent of dirt, the scent of salt that only could come from tears, the musky scent of dried blood and the horrible scent of blood still running from an open wound.

But there was also another scent lingering on Jack, a scent that didn't belong to the boy. While Jack smelled of pine and freshly fallen snow, this scent was that of an dirty enclosed space and the stench of old fur. Bunny knew the scent, but at that moment he couldn't pinpoint from where.

"...Jack?" Bunny spoke carefully. "What happened to ya?"

His words caught the attention of the others and only then did they noticed the strange behavior of the Winter Spirit. His head hung towards the floor and his whole body was stiff. He looked much like a scared animal, ready to flee at any given time.

"...it's nothing."

Bunny frown deepened, his ears falling back. Jack sounded so afraid and that wasn't right. He looked so small, acting nothing like the cocky immortal teenager they all knew. He looked so fragile, like he would shatter at any moment.

"Mate," Bunny's voice was gentle. "Come out from the shadows."

Jack hesitated and clutched his staff close to his chest, wincing quietly when he made contact with the gashes running across his skin.

"..why?"

Bunny felt his worry increasing tenfold, his instincts take control. Jack was hiding something from him and it wasn't good. He knew right then that he had to be even more gentle than he first thought. For Jack was ready to run, ready to flee if his fear took over completely.

"So I can see what's wrong."

Jack made no movement to move from his spot and only shook his head.

"Nothing's wrong."

Bunny's frown slipped from his expression, sadness taking its place. Even after seven months, Jack still wasn't comfortable with coming to them with his problems. He wasn't comfortable with telling them about his emotions.

Bunny knew that three hundred years of being an outcast would leave its scars, but the Pooka had hoped that the boy would be more at ease with them after they had all became family. It seemed at that moment, they had only been fooling themselves.

"Then why do I smell blood?"

Jack's head shot up and while Bunny still couldn't see the boy's face, he could still see the fear in those blue orbs. What he also saw that those eyes had a red tint to them, indicating that Bunny had been correct on the tears.

The Pooka immediately felt his inside burn with rage and he understood what that redness meant. Jack had been crying, someone had made his Snowflake cry. If it was one thing Bunny was, it was that he was very protective over Jack. No one hurt his little brother, physically or mentally, and got away unpunished.

"You know you can tell me, Snowflake."

Jack looked at the Pooka, never having seen Bunny so worried before. While Jack didn't enjoyed being injured, he somewhat enjoyed Bunny worrying about him. For it meant he really cared and while Jack wasn't used to it, he really like it.

The Child of Winter lowered his gaze back to the floor and then finally walked into the room, closing his eyes as he heard the gasps from the others. For a moment there was only silence and then Jack heard the sound of footsteps, the Winter Spirit wincing as a paw gently landed on his injured shoulder.

He immediately pulled away and placed his hand across the deep gash, a grunt escaping him as pain spread from the wound. He forced his eyes open and saw Bunny standing before him, the Pooka looking at him with concerned eyes.

"Jack…what's wrong?"

Jack took a step back and shook his head, turning his gaze away. He frowned angrily at the floor, hating himself for being such a baby. It was so stupid, it wasn't like he hadn't been hurt worse before. He needed to pull himself together and not act like a weak little child.

"It's nothing." He mumbled. "I'm fine."

He raised his gaze in surprise as he heard the Pooka let out a growl and shrunk back slightly as he saw the fire in Bunny's emerald eyes.

"Ya're not 'fine', Snowflake! Ya're hurt and I wanna know who's responsible!"

Jack bit his lower lip nervously.

"Why?"

Bunny let out a sound that Jack guessed mass a mix of a growl and a huff, the Pooka throwing his arms up.

"Why?! So I can beat the crap out of them, that's why!"

Jack's eyes widened as he stared at the Pooka before him, feeling touched by Bunny's caring and…protectiveness, if he guessed right.

"You…you would do that…for me?"

Bunny's anger immediately melted away as he took in the wide eyes and uncertain voice of the immortal teenager. His eyes grew soft and he gave the boy a gentle smile, hoping to ease Jack's fear.

"Of course I would, Jackie." He smirked. "And I will, when ya tell me who did this to ya."

Jack returned the Pooka's smirked with his own, weaker than normal. But Bunny didn't care, it warmed his heart to see his little brother smile again.

The immortal teenager then turned his gaze away and looked down at the floor, his cheeks gaining a light purple color as he blushed. He rubbed his arm with his hand as he bit his lip in uncertainly.

"…it's stupid."

Bunny walked forward and placed his paw on the immortal teenager's covered head, smiling as the boy looked up.

"No, it ain't, mate. Now, tell me who did this?"

"…it was the Groundhog." Jack slowly said. "I wasn't doing anything wrong, that part of the world was suppose to have winter. But he just attacked me, I swear it wasn't my fault."

Bunny's eyes narrowed, not at Jack, but at the thought of the woodchuck. The Pooka knew then where he recognized the sent from, it was from the Groundhog. And that overgrown rat had hurt his little brother. Bunny swore he was going to beat his rival into next spring.

"I know it wasn't yar fault, Jackie. I'm not mad at ya."

Jack smiled weakly and Bunny removed the boy's hoodie, his eyes widening as he saw bruises that littered the boy face. He heard the others gasp as they saw as well and Bunny could feel his blood begin to boil in his veins.

He was going to kill the Groundhog.

Tooth flew over to them and began fussing over her Sweet Tooth, cradling the teenager's head in her hands gently. She then forced Jack to the North Pole's infirmary and demanded the boy to show her all the injuries so she could treat them.

Having gotten good look at the injuries, Bunny could feel his anger growing. He left the room, knowing his little brother was in good hands. He opened a tunnel and jumped in, a red flower appearing as the hole closed after him.

He had an old rival to visit.

* * *

"You should have seen the little twerp! He was crying his eyes out like the little baby he is."

The Groundhog felt proud of himself as the Leprechaun, April Shower and Cupid laughed as he told them with his meeting with the Winter Spirit.

"I sure wish I had been there to see it for myself," Cupid snickered. "That boy have always been nothing but problem."

The other spirits nodded. It was a well known fact that Jack was not like or even accepted in the Spirit World. The only who cared for him were the Guardians, but for Jack that was more than enough.

But because he wasn't accepted, the other spirits took great joy in seeing the Winter Spirit in pain. Some even made it into a sport and everyone like to brag to the others whenever they were able to send the immortal teenager running with a few injuries.

"Yeah, it was great." The Groundhog laughed. "I sure would have no problem beating up the little wimp again."

"Is that so?"

The Groundhog spun around with a gasp, while the three other spirits jumped several steps back in fear. Bunny stood in front of the woodchuck, glaring down at the Groundhog with blazing eyes and arms crossed over his chest.

"B-Bunnymund," The Groundhog managed to stutter out. "What brings you here?"

Bunny's eyes narrowed and the Groundhog knew that if looks could kill, he would already be six feet under.

"I came here because someone thought it would be a good idea to beat up my little brother."

The Groundhog's eyes widened with fear and he raised his paws in surrender, lowering his whole body slightly.

"N-now s-see here Bunny, it was just a joke. The little twe-"

He was cut off as Bunny reached out and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground and bringing them closer despite of his weight. He let out a whimper as Bunny's usually bright eyes darkened with rage and the grip around his throat tightened, cutting of his ability to breath.

"Beating up a kid is a joke to ya?! My little brother came home bleeding and in pain, and ya think it's funny?!"

He looked up towards the other spirits and growled, the three of them cowering under the Pooka's glare.

"Ya think it's funny too?!"

The three of them quickly shook their heads and took several steps back.

"N-n-n-no, n-n-not a-at a-a-all." The Leprechaun managed to stutter out.

Bunny's glare hardened and he growled, his fur bristling.

"Ya have two seconds to get out of here!" He snarled. "And if I find out ya ever hurt my little brother again, I will hunt ya all down!"

The three spirits didn't need to be told twice and they quickly scattered, running with the hope that the Pooka wouldn't come after them.

Bunny turned his attention back to the Groundhog, the woodchuck's face blue from lack of air beneath his fur. Bunny spun around and slammed the rodent up against the nearest tree, leaning forwards with his large buck teeth bared in a silent snarl.

"Now listen here, ya overgrown rat, because I'm only gonna tell ya this once! Ya're gonna stay away from my little borther in the future, or MiM help me! If I find out ya hurt him in any way, I'm gonna rip off yar tail and shove it down yar throat, before burying ya where no one will ever be able to find ya! Ya got that?"

The Groundhog nodded quickly and Bunny glared at the rodent, not completely satisfied.

"I should feed ya to Pitch's Nightmares after what ya did to Jack! Ya completely destroyed his hoodie, one of his very few possessions which he loved, and that bite mark on his shoulder took fourteen stitches to seal! And then all those bruises on his face! Ya're lucky ya didn't damaged any of his teeth or Tooth would have personally ripped out every one of yars!"

The Groundhog's face had gone deep purple from the lack of air under his fur but Bunny wasn't finished, not yet.

"Spread the message. Jack Frost is under my protection, as well as the rest of the Guardians, and we will come after anyone who dares so much as threaten him."

With that, Bunny drew his fist back, before ramming it into the Groundhog's face.

* * *

When Bunny returned to the North Pole, he moved directly to Jack's room, knowing that the others had taken him there as soon as he had been treated to be more comfortable. Opening the door, he smirked at seeing his little brother sitting up in his bed with a glare and arms crossed over his chest, while he leaned against the headboard with several large pillows behind his back.

Jack's hoodie had longed been removed and thrown away, much to the Winter Spirit's distress. But there had been no saving the old piece of clothing, something Jack clearly wasn't happy about. Instead the boy was dressed in a light blue sweater, the thing being so large that Bunny could see the white bandaged around his little brother's chest under the collar.

When the immortal teenager saw the Pooka however, his expression split into a hug smile.

"Bunny! Please tell me you have come to rescue me!"

Bunny snorted and walked up to the side of the bed.

"Save ya? From what?"

Jack threw his arms up.

"The others!"

He groaned as he dragged his hands over his face, wincing slightly as he touched the still tender bruises.

"Tooth have been force-feeding me with some goo that tastes like old socks and North have gone off to form a plan of attack to anyone who have even looked at me the wrong way. Sandy has been trying to get me to sleep with that stupid sand of his, even though I'm not tired. I don't know where he's right now, but I bet his lurking somewhere and will put me out as soon as he gets a chance."

He glared at the Pooka as Bunny broke out laughing, a purple blush spreading across his cheeks.

"It's not funny!" The Winter Spirit mumbled. "You have to get me out of here or Tooth's going to smother me to death! She forbade me to leave the bed! Do know what a torture this is for me?! Just get me out of here!"

Bunny reached forward as he chuckled and ruffled the teenager's white hair, smiling softly as he noticed how Jack leaned into to the touch.

"No can do, Snowflake. Ya need the rest and Tooth would skin me alive if I helped ya escape."

"We don't have to tell her."

Bunny snorted.

"As if that would make any difference. Sorry mate, but ya're staying in bed."

Jack let out a groan of irritation and fell back against the stack of pillows, his arms once again crossed over his chest.

"Can you at least stop North from going off on his hunting trip?"

"Nope."

Jack growled as he sank beeper down in his mattress.

"I hate you all so much right now."

Bunny chuckled, knowing that his little brother didn't mean it. He saw as Jack eyes flashed with sudden realization and the Winter Spirit sat up straight again.

"North said you went to find the Groundhog. Did you?"

Bunny crossed his arms over his chest and smiled proudly.

"I sure did. Don't ya worry, Snowflake, he won't mess with ya again."

Jack eyes narrowed.

"You didn't kill him, did you?"

"No!" Bunny huffed, offended. "I broke his nose."

Jack's eyes widened and his mouth fell open in shock.

"You broke his nose?!"

Bunny chuckled at his little brother's stunned expression.

"Yes, among other things. No one messes with my little brother and gets away with it."

Jack's expression soften and he lowered his gaze, his hands clutching the covers tightly. He swallowed thickly as he felt his eyes dampened.

"…thanks…you didn't have to do that…"

Bunny's arms fell to his sides as he smiled kindly, sitting down on the edge of the bed and drew his paw through the white hair once more.

"Yes, I did. That's what family do, mate. We will always be here to protect ya."

Jack sniffled but smiled, looking up at his older brother with thankful eyes. He smirked as a tear ran down his cheek, his inside comfortably warm.

"Can't say I'm still used to this whole family-thing."

Bunny smirked softly.

"Ya and me both, mate. But we're both getting there."

Jack chuckled as he wiped away his tears.

"Yeah…I kinda like it."

Warmth wrapped itself around Bunny's heart and he leaned forward, gathering the boy up in a hug. Jack smiled and leaned into the embrace, closing his eyes as he knew he was protected.

But at the same time he couldn't help but worry. The Groundhog may stay away from him, but there were still so many other spirits out there that hated him.

Would his family really be able to protect him from all of them?

So when Jack met Nira, the Spirit of Water, and Hallow, Spirit of Halloween, a few weeks later, he was nothing less than shocked when the two of them had fled at the sight of him, shouting of a madman with swords, a teeth-ripping fairy, a scary man of golden sand and a crazy Pooka.

Jack had stared after them, before falling to the ground laughing so hard his stomach hurt. Once his laughter had subsided he remained on the ground and looked up at the stars covering the night sky, smiling softly.

Perhaps having a family wasn't so bad after all.


	13. Burned Snow

_**Alright, so here's the next part and this one will be several chapters. How many I don't know yet as it's still under construction, so we will just have to see.**_

 _ **I guess there should be a warning about blood and such, but it really isn't anything that gruesome.**_

 _ **So hope you enjoy and see you all again at the next chapter.**_

* * *

Jack ran as quickly as his legs could carry him, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He could hear them getting closer, gaining ground as he only grew more tired. He wished for the Wind to come and aid his escape. But his staff had been snatched from his hands, leaving him grounded without a chance of escape.

He threw himself to the side as a fireball hurled by, gazing his shoulder before impacting with a tree. Jack cried out and clutched his shoulder, but continued running. He couldn't stop. If he did, there was no telling what would happen to him.

Stumbling over a root, he lost his balance and tumbled down a small ravine. Jagged stones scraped away skin, drawing blood. He hit the ground hard and his breath was taken from him by the force, leaving him struggling.

He pushed himself back up with shaking arms, tears threatening to spill over. He could hear them coming closer, his attackers relentless. He stumbled forward, his right hand clutching his left forearm as blood dripped from the large gash. A smaller gash on his forehead covered half his face in blood, making his right eye blind.

He ran behind a boulder and pressed his back against the rock, desperately trying to hide. But the boulder soon shattered, sending him flying forward. A stray piece of rock hit him in the back, cutting into his flesh just between the shoulder blades. He hit the ground and rolled, immediately getting back up and continued to run.

But he didn't get far as another fireball cut through the air, this time hitting its mark. He cried out as the flame buried itself in the center of his back, burning away skin and breaking flesh. The pain made him fall and he curled up as soon as he hit the ground, the tears now freely slipping down his cheeks.

The pain was like nothing he had ever felt, tearing at him like thousands of knives. His line of sight was dotted with black spots as he fought to remain conscious. He could feel himself slipping, the pain too much for him to handle.

Then there was a creak, the sound of wood tearing itself apart. He looked up and through his tears saw the tree falling, the mass of wood coming towards him. He tried desperately to get out of its way, only to scream as the trunk smashed down on his right leg, trapping the limb against the ground.

Crushing pain shot through his leg and up his spine. He clawed at the wood, trying to lift it off him. But it was far too heavy and he soon fell to the ground, his nails digging into the earth underneath him. He sobbed as he shut his eyes, each twitch his body made making the pain flare up.

He could hear the cruel laughter, the sharp sound making it feel as if his ears was going to bleed. He struggled to open the eye that wasn't blinded by blood, but he could only make out his attackers in forms of shadows. While he couldn't see their cruel smirks, he could feel them and their harsh words tore at his heart.

He begged them to stop but his words went unheard, their cruelty never stopping. His staff was throw, landing on the ground before him but just out of reach. He reached out for it but his fingers barley brushed against the old wood, unable to grab hold.

He shrunk back as one of his attackers walked up to stand beside him, glaring down at him with harsh eyes. Then he only felt pain as his one of his attackers kicked him in the side, his ribs nearly breaking under the force. The pain from his leg flared up as his body was forced into movement, screams escaping his lips as more tears fell to the ground.

His attacker stopped after a few moments and stepped back. Jack tried to curl up to escape any more abuse as he laid sobbing on the ground. He heard his attacker speak, but could not make out the words.

Then they were suddenly gone but to his horror, fire took their places. The flames grew as they ate of the forest around him, consuming everything it their way. Panic filled the Winter Spirit and he began to push against the tree that kept him trapped, ignoring the pain as he tried to pull his damaged limb free.

He screamed for help as the heat around him grew, his body burning and his lungs filling with smoke. He couldn't see, he couldn't breathe and he couldn't get away.

He was going to die.


	14. Burned Snow pt2

**_This is the next part of Burned Snow, not much else to say. Hope you all enjoy it and let me know what you guys think._**

* * *

Bunny had been traveling through the Canadian forest in search of seeds when the scent of smoke reached his nose. Jumping onto a large boulder, he rose to his hind legs and watched as flames rose to the sky a few miles away.

The last Pooka could see helicopters circling the area and heard sirens in the distance, knowing that the humans had the situation in control. They knew how to handle the fire, how to put it out before it could spread and hurt anyone.

But Bunny could feel that something wasn't right, something in the back of his mind was nagging him about the whole situation. Wildfires in this area was nearly unheard of, especially this far into autumn. The fire just didn't seem natural.

Knowing there was nothing he could do, Bunny shrugged his shoulders and turned to leave. He needed to get back to the Warren.

But just as he was about to leap off the boulder, he heard a sound that didn't belong. Stiffening, he turned back to look at the fire and focused his hearing beyond the cracking of the fire, the blades of the helicopters and the sirens.

He frowned when he didn't hear it again, wondering if he had been mistaken.

"HELP ME!"

Bunny's eyes widened as he heard the scream, recognizing the voice. He leaped from the boulder and ran as quickly as his legs could carry him, covering the miles in a few moments. Stopping at the edge of the fire, he cried out.

"JACK!"

A few seconds went passed without an answer and then a voice, so filled with desperation.

"BUNNY, HELP!"

Bunny didn't hesitate and threw himself forward, jumping over flames and sprinting forward. Sweat matted his fur from the intense heat but he ignored it, knowing that his little brother was somewhere within the burning forest.

Nothing was more important than getting to Jack.

"JACK! WHERE ARE YOU, MATE?!"

"OVER HERE!"

Bunny ran left, jumping over a burning log and slid down a ravine, not even pausing as he hit the ground. Running past a shattered boulder, he skidded to stop and stood up on his hind legs. He looked around in panic, trying to spot the Winter Spirit.

"BUNNY!"

Spinning around, his eyes widened as he finally spotted the immortal teenager. Wasting no time, he ran over and skidded to a stop. He tried to picked Jack up, but quickly lowered the boy back down as he cried out.

"Jack! What-"

"My leg! My leg's trapped!"

Looking back, Bunny cursed as he saw the tree laying across the Spirit's leg, trapping it to the ground. Growling, he grabbed hold of the wood in a desperate try to lift it off, ignoring the way his paws burned as they came in contact with the lit wood.

But no matter how he pulled, the tree was just too heavy. Abandoning his first plan, he instead bent down and began digging, not even flinching as his burned paws scraped against the rough ground. He had no time for pain, his little brother needed him.

Jack curled into himself and tried to keep from crying out every time Bunny accidentally came in contact with his leg. He knew Bunny didn't mean to hurt him, the Pooka was trying to save him.

A burning tree branch suddenly landed beside him, gazing his arm. He cried out and quickly pulled his arm closer to himself, but the damaged had already been done. Skin had been burned away, flesh drying until it cracked and bled. He drew the arm close to his chest, sobbing as the pain traveled from the burnt area, up his whole arm.

He coughed, his lungs filled with smoke. His whole chest felt constricted, making it near impossible for him to breath. And no matter how hard he coughed or how many times, nothing help. It only seemed to grow worse with each breath he struggled to take, his chest growing tighter. He was suffocating, he would die.

Forcing his good eye open, he managed to look towards Bunny. The Pooka was still digging but the ground was hard and packed with large stones, leaving his paws bleeding. But Bunny still kept digging, his fast pace never easing. His claws scraped across stone, breaking under the force.

But Bunny ignored it and kept going, refusing to yield. He was going to make it, in a few moments he would get his little brother loose.

But Jack didn't have a few moments and the Winter Spirit knew that. The flames were growing closer and he was suffocating too quickly. He had no more time, he was going to die. And if Bunny didn't leave, so would he.

And Jack couldn't let that happen.

"…Bunny…get out…of here…leave…me."

Bunny shook his head and closed his eyes tightly, yet he didn't stop. He kept digging, even as his tears began falling. He needed to keep digging, he had to get Jack out. He wouldn't give up, Jack needed him.

"Shut up, Snowflake! I'm gonna get ya out, just hang on!"

Jack shook his head and let out a broken sob.

"…i-it's too…late."

Bunny choked on his breath and he finally looked at Winter Spirit, the boy he had grown to see as a little brother. And his heart shattered.

Jack laid still on the ground, bloody and broken while barley able to breathe. The immortal teenager's usually spike hair laid limp against his head, the blue hoodie he loved so much blacked beyond recognizing. Pale eyes that used to hold such life looked up at him, begging the Pooka to leave.

But Bunny couldn't do that. He could never leave Jack, knowing the moment he left so did Jack's only chance of survival. He couldn't leave his brother to die.

Bunny shook his head and grit his teeth, but his shoulders slumped in defeat. He looked down at his paws, his pads destroyed and bleeding badly. As much as he wanted to continue digging, he wouldn't be able to. His paws were useless now.

Sobbing, the Pooka shook his head again. He wouldn't give up, he wouldn't lose Jack.

He spun around with an enraged cry and latched out with both hind legs, striking at the log. He kicked with all his force, desperation fueling his muscles. The wood cracked under his large paws and with one finale kick, the wood broke.

Bunny stumbled forward, keeping his balance by staying on all fours. He panted heavily, the action having left him short of breath. He glanced over his shoulder and his ears immediately rose in hope as he saw that Jack's leg's was finally free, his kicking having cracked the log and pushed it away.

Wasting no time, Bunny rushed up to Jack's side, leaning down to press his nose against the boy's right temple. Jack showed little reaction, but managed to process the strength to look up at his big brother and smile.

"…thank you, Bunny."

Bunny smiled softly, his eyes brimmed with tears.

"Of course, Jackie. Now let's get ya out of here."

Jack sighed and nodded, his eyes closing in exhaustion.

Bunny lowered his whole body to the ground and slid himself under Jack, lifting the boy onto his back. Shaking arms wrapped themselves around the Pooka's shoulders and after making sure Jack was secure on his back, Bunny ran.


	15. Books and Surprises

_**So this one I came up with a short while ago, but I was only just now able to finish it.**_

 _ **This one is focusing on Jack and North, and their father-son relationship.**_

 _ **Oh, I just remembered. I have been thinking about taking request if anyone is interested. If you are, let me know. But just to warn you, I won't do romance. Alright.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

North walked through the loud and cramped Workshop he proudly called home, a purpose in his step. In his arm he held an large and thick book, its frame clad in a deep blue fabric and its letters of the purest silver.

It had just been finished a moment ago and he was proud of how it had turned out. It had taken him weeks, but it had been worth all his hard work. It was perfect, just as he wanted it to be.

Now, he just had to hand it over to its new owner.

Having an hunch to where that person would be, the Cossack walked into the west section of the Workshop. Crisscrossing between the tables, he stopped under one of the largest roof beams and raised his eyes as a smirk grazed his lips.

Draped across the beam, was no other than Jack Frost himself. The immortal teenager was leaning against one of the smaller support beams, his legs and arms crossed in an relaxed manner. The old staff the boy cared for so much laid across his chest and the hood had been pulled up, hiding the Winter Spirit's face from view.

North stood there for a moment, just observing the boy. He had never understood why that spot had become one of Jack's favorites. The west part of the Workshop was by far the busiest and loudest. And yet, Jack could often be found upon the beam, gazing out across the building.

The Cossack had always thought it would be too loud for the boy, seeing how North himself couldn't stand it for more than a hour or two himself. But yet, Jack would stay there for hours, sometimes even a whole day.

He wouldn't move, he would stay in the same spot and watch as everything went on around him. Most times he would end up falling asleep, the loud sounds and bright lights doing nothing to disturb the boy's slumber.

It had surprise North and nearly scared the feathers off Tooth. The fairy had scolded the Winter Spirit for sleeping so high up and the danger that came with it, but it hadn't really done anything. Jack still slept in high places, or as it would happen most of the time, where he fell.

North watched the boy closely, to make sure the Winter Spirit wasn't asleep. The last thing he needed was to have Jack falling down from the rafters. Tooth would be angry with him for months if he let that happen.

Lucky for him, Jack was awake. The Winter Spirit was merely taking it easy while observing what was going on around him.

"Jack, my boy!"

His loud voice tended to catch most by surprise, but Jack simply turned his head around and looked down. Seeing who had called out to him, he blinked a few times before a small smirk came to his expression.

"Hey, North! What's up?"

North smiled and gestured to the boy to come down. Jack removed the hood from his head and arched an eyebrow in question at the Cossack, but then shrugged. Grabbing his staff with one hand, he rolled off the beam.

The first time he had done that, North had almost suffered a heart attack along with Phil. The two of them had actually run to catch the teenager, only to run straight into each other while the Wind had gently placed Jack down on the floor.

The reminders of the pain from a broken nose and Jack's loud laughter was the only two things keeping him from doing the same thing all over again.

Jack landed softly on the red carpet and slung his staff over his shoulders, crossing his right ankle over the left in a lazy stance.

"So?"

North chuckled and shook his head in good manner, not put back by the boy's impatience. Jack was a teenager after all, immortal or not.

"I have brought gift for boy."

That immediately caught Jack's attention. The boy stood a little straighter and something lit up within his eyes, much like the child he was. It was a thing North would never be tired of seeing.

"Gift? For me?"

North smiled softly at the uncertainly in the Winter Spirit's voice. Four months might had passed since Jack had become a Guardian, but the boy was not yet used to receiving anything, even less used at accepting it.

It pained the Cossack and shame would always wash over him every time he thought how Jack had been alone for three hundred years. He regretted it now, ignoring the teenager for so long. He wished he could change it, but not even the Guardians possessed that kind of magic.

But he was determined not to make the same mistake again.

So he nodded and presented the book to Jack, holding it out for the teenager to take.

Jack blinked down at the large book, it's size nearly as large as the Book of the Guardians, the book North had used when he had taken the oath. But while that book had been a mixture of deep brown and gold, this book was clad in the deepest blue Jack had ever seen, with silver letters and details.

He looked back up towards North and the Cossack nodded, gesturing for him to take the book. After a moment of hesitation, Jack leaned his staff into the inner part of his elbow and carefully took the book from the man's hands.

What surprised him was how light the book actually was. The thing was massive and looked to weigh a ton, yet it was lighter than a stack of a few papers. Moving past his surprise, he took a better look at the it.

The cover was made of the softest silk and it's edges were lined with a pattered that had a striking resembles to his own frost, it even seemed to shine in the light. In its center was a single snowflake, its details so perfect it rivaled his own creations.

It was beautiful.

He lifted one hand and carefully dragged his fingers over the cover, forcing his powers back as to not damaging the silk. He could clearly see that a lot of work had been put into the book and the last thing he wanted to do was destroy it.

"All the great stories and legends are in the book, along with some of my personal favorites. I hope you will enjoy reading them."

Jack nearly jumped at North's voice, for a moment having forgotten that the man was standing right in front of him. He looked up at the Cossack and it took a couple of seconds before the man's words registered.

Stories. Legends. Book. Reading.

Fuck.

Jack's eyes widened in an instant and he forced the most panic-stricken smile North had seen in a long time. The Cossack blinked at the sudden change at the demeanor, but Jack spoke before he could even open his mouth.

"Thanks, North. It's awesome."

North took in the way Jack's hold of the book had tightened, the wide eyes, the fake smile and the way the teenager's whole body had grown stiff. True, Jack had always acted rather uncomfortable when receiving a gift, but never like this.

"Jack, is everything alright? You acting rather…odd."

Jack could feel the blush spread on his cheeks and he let out a nervous laugh.

"I'm fine, everything's fine." He could feel his blush deepen. "This book is awesome. In fact, it's so awesome I think I will read it right now."

Before the Cossack could say anything, Jack tore the book open and placed it in front of him, effectively shielding himself from the man. North blinked and several moments of silence passed between the two before;

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"You sure you are alright?"

Jack never once lowered the book.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Book is upside-down."

"Oh." Another moment of silence passed. "…I knew that."

But Jack made no movement to turn the book to its right side and North arched an eyebrow in question. It was then it dawned on him and he looked down at the Winter Spirit with somewhat of a shocked expression.

"Jack, do you know how to read?"

The boy finally lowered the book and North frowned when the fake smile still remained on the Winter Spirit's lips.

"What? Of course, I do! What makes you - no, not really."

Jack lowered his whole body slightly under North shocked look, biting his lower lip nervously. It was then he noticed that the whole room had gone surprisingly quiet. Glancing up, he noticed that everyone had stopped working and was instead focusing on him.

Jack knew his whole face had flushed deep purple at that point and he wished for Bunny's powers right then, so he could open a whole and disappear. He swore that when he got out of there, he was never coming back.

He let out an almost quiet sigh and gently closed the book, looking down on it as it rested in his hands. It was such a beautiful and thoughtful gift and because of him, it was all ruined. North had put so much work into it, it was perfect, and he had screwed it all up.

He could feel the tears rising and he bit his lip to hold back a sob. He let go of the book with one hand and drew his arms across his face to get rid of the tears, but new ones only took their place.

"…I'm sorry." He whispered.

North finally snapped out of his shocked state at the soft voice and noticed the boy's tears. He immediately moved forward and brought the Winter Spirit into his arms before Jack could protest.

Jack was stiff as a board in the man's arms, but after a few moments he slowly relaxed and leaned into the embrace. His free hand reached to clutch at the Cossack's shirt, while the other pressed the book to his chest.

North gently drew a hand through the boy's hair and smiled sadly as Jack unconsciously leaned into the touch.

"There is nothing to be sorry for, Jack."

The immortal slowly raised his gaze until he met North's.

"But I-"

But North firmly shook his head, yet he kept his voice soft.

"No, Jack. No apologizing, you have done nothing wrong. You understand?"

It took a couple of moments but finally, Jack nodded. North then wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulder and started leading the Winter Spirit towards his office, the boy blinking up at him because of the sudden movement.

"Now come, we shall make sure you can enjoy book."

Jack stared at the Cossack as he let himself be guided through the building, his mind yet not having wrapped itself around what was going on. It dawned on him after a few seconds and his eyes widened.

"You mean…you're going to teach me?"

North chuckled.

"Of course, my boy."

"Really? Because I don't want to waste your time."

The large man waved his free hand in the air.

"Bah, no waste of time."

Jack felt his blush return, but this time in combination with a small smile. He clutched the book closer to his chest and leaned a little bit more into North's hold.

"…thanks North."

The man merely smiled kindly.

"That is what family is for."

When the other three Guardians arrived to the North Pole four hours later, they were surprised to find North and Jack in the Cossack's office, both of them surrounded by books, papers and pencils.

It took them a moment to figure out what was going on but when they did, they only smiled towards each other. They then turned around and left, leaving father and son to themselves.


	16. See you again

_**Hiya everyone! Sorry it have been a while since I last uploaded a new chapter, but life has been a bit hectic as of late.**_

 _ **But ignoring that, this chapter actually focus on the relationship between Jack and his sister. So enjoy!**_

 _ **Oh, and before I forget. I still interested in taking requests, so just tell me in the reviews or send me a message and I will see what I can come up with based on your requests.**_

* * *

Jack sat on the rail of one of the many balconies of North's home. He had chosen the highest one, located in one of the towers, that gave him a perfect view of the snow covered landscape. The Wind played with his hair, brining a soft smile to the child's lips.

He closed his eyes for a moment and listened to her quiet yet warm voice, like a mother would to her child. She wrapped him in her cold embrace, as if telling him she would always be there like she had always been.

Jack drew a deep breath and opened his eyes, his blue orbs glazed over with tears. His smile remained, despite the tears that threatened to fall. The Wind tried to comfort him, like she had done so many times before. She whispered softly to him and her voice reminded him so much of the voice of his mother, a woman he could no longer remember the face of.

But he could still remember her soft smile and her lullaby, the one that always chased the nightmares away. The warm voice that always took his fears away. He could still remember and that was enough for him.

After all, he remembered _her_.

Reaching into the pocket of his hoodie, he pulled out the gold canister. He stared down at it, looking into the face of a stranger. Brown hair and brown eyes, so different from his white hair and blue eyes.

A stranger and yet, it wasn't.

It was him and had always been, only in a different life. A life he hadn't know had existed but now wished he could have back, if only for a moment.

A moment, to say goodbye.

The first few tears began falling and his smile fell with them, his grip of the canister tightening. He sniffled quietly and closed his eyes, silently asking why.

Just why?

Why did he have to leave? What did he ever do to deserve to be taken from his family? To suffer three hundred years of invisibility and loneliness? Why did he have to lose _her_?

His little sister, the person who meant the world to him. His little sister who he loved more than anything.

He could remember the day she was born, so small and fragile. He had been uncertain about having a younger sibling at first, as most children were. But the moment she opened her big brown eyes and looked at him with a smile, he knew he loved her.

He would have done anything for her, to keep her safe. And in the end, that was what he did. He gave his life for her, so she would be safe.

He would never change that, even if he had the chance. It would always be her. If he so had to do it over a thousand times, he would die for her every time.

He just wished he had remembered.

Had remembered her. Had remembered his little sister. He saw her so many times in the village, but he never recognized her.

And that's what broke his heart.

He thought that once he received his memories, he would be happy. But now, they only showed him what he had lost. They only brought him pain.

He wanted nothing more than to throw the canister away, but he was too afraid to let go of it. What if he forgot again? What if he forgot her? His teeth were the only thing that could promise him that he wouldn't forget.

Because he couldn't lose his memories again, he couldn't lose her.

Chuckling softly, his tears fell faster as remembered a specific conversation he had had with his little sister not long before his death.

 _"Jack?"_

 _The oldest of the Overland's siblings looked away from the herd of sheep and glanced over his shoulder, a dark eyebrow raised in question as his little sister looked up at him with her wide brown eyes._

 _"Yes princess?"_

 _The younger sibling giggled at the nickname but then fell silent, pulling at the hem of her dress nervously. This caught Jack's attention and he turned around to fully face his little sister, kneeling down. He ignored the wetness from the snow that soaked through the fabric of his pants. He placed a hand on his sister's shoulder and gave her a soft smile, the one that was only for her._

 _"What's wrong, princess?"_

 _His sister bit her lip and hesitated, but the spoke quietly._

 _"We…we're always going to be there for each other, right?"_

 _Jack blinked in shock, wondering what this was coming from. His sister had never asked a question like that before, so why would she now?_

 _"Of course," He smiled. "We siblings and best friends, are we not?"_

 _His sister managed a small smile and nodded, some of her uncertainly disappearing._

 _"Yeah, we are." Her smile fell. "But…"_

 _Jack frowned and picked his little sister up in his arms, standing up. The younger Overland wrapped her arms around her brother's neck and held on tightly, as if afraid that if she let go he would disappear._

 _"Now listen here, princess. We are family and that means we will always be there for each other. No matter what happens, I will always love you."_

 _His sister slowly nodded and pulled away from his neck, looking at him with sadness in her eyes._

 _"But what about when you grow up? When you get your own family? What if you move to another village?"_

 _Jack had to hold back a cringe. Sometimes his sister was too smart for her own good. It was true that he was growing up and she had still several more years until that happened to her, seeing there was several years between them._

 _"Well, yes. That might happen." He gave her another smile. "But that doesn't mean we will stop being family. And in a way, I will still always be with you."_

 _His sister tilted her head to the side in confusion._

 _"How?"_

 _"Even if you can't see me," He pressed a finger to her chest, right where her heart was. "I will be right here."_

 _His sister put her hands over her heart and smiled softly, believing him. She hugged him again, feeling his warmth as he returned the action._

 _"Now," Jack said seriously. "Who put these silly thoughts in you pretty little head?"_

 _His sister giggled._

 _"Edward Wilson."_

 _Jack raised an eyebrow._

 _"Oh. And what did you say to him after he told you these things?"_

 _His sister smiled proudly._

 _"Nothing, I punched him in the nose."_

 _Jack barked out a laughter and spun her around, the youngest Overland laughing._

 _"That's my little sister."_

Jack sniffled quietly. It had been their last real conversation, the last time they had been happy together. Because later that same day, his little sister had asked him if he would teach her how to skate and he had agreed.

Never had he regretted an action so much before. If he had just told her that he would teach her next winter, because they were so close to spring. If they had just stayed home, he wouldn't have lost her. Because of his stupidity, he had drowned and he had been ripped away from everything he loved.

The Wind kindly ruffled his head, bringing a soft smile to the Winter Spirit's lips. He reached up and dried his tears with the sleeve of his hoodie. Hearing laughter, he glanced over his shoulder.

Through the window, he could see North and Bunny standing by the open fire, both older Guardians laughing. He could see Tooth and Sandy, the two of them playing a game of card. And somehow, the small sight warmed Jack's heart.

He had lost on family, but gained another. It might have taken him three hundred years, but it had been worth the wait. The family he had now could never replace his first, but neither could his first replace the one he had now.

And suddenly, the pain wasn't so bad anymore. He had lost his sister, but it didn't mean he would never see her again. It would take time, but he knew it wouldn't matter when he finally saw her again.

And as he would forever be in her heart, she would forever be in his.

Jack hummed softly to himself and looked up at the sky, the sun warming his skin as tears slipped down his cheeks. He closed his eyes and smiled softly.

 _"It's been a long day, without you my friend._

 _And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again._

 _We've come a long way, from where we began._

 _I'll will tell you all about it when I see you again."_

* * *

 ** _The song that inspired me here is 'See you again' by Charlie Puth. If you haven't heard it, you really should. It's such an amazing and beautiful song._**


	17. Burned Snow pt3

**_So, the next part of Burned Snow. I know it's a bit short, but it can't really be helped. And while it is short, I still feel like a managed to get a great part of the story in this. So I'm happy with it._**

 ** _Now, before you start reading, I need to ask you for some help. I want to know which animal suits Jack best? I have some ideas on my one for what I think is best but I haven't been able to decide yet so I thought I would ask for your opinions. So let me know and enjoy this chapter._**

* * *

 _After making sure Jack was secure on his back, Bunny ran._

For him to be able to open a tunnel, he needed to get them somewhere where the fire hadn't spread. The ground beneath him was far too damaged, too unstable. If he opened a tunnel here, there was a high risk that it could cave in on them. He needed to get them to a more stable patch of ground and until they found just that, he would have to run.

Leaping over a log, he pressed forward. Looking around for a way to escape, he did his best to shield Jack from the flames. As a tree began falling towards them, Bunny threw himself to the side, throwing himself over the edge of a small cliff. He slid upon the rock's surface, throwing himself into running pace as soon as he hit the ground again.

He took a sharp left as large flames rose from the right, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. If he didn't find a way out from the burning forest soon, neither of them would make it.

Looking forward, his eyes widened at the sight that met him and he forced his body into a an immediate stop. His broken claws dug into the ground as his burned pads slid upon the hard surface. He managed to stop just at the edge and stumbled back, his eyes staring at the rushing water.

He spun around to go back, only to realize that the way was cut off by large flames. They rose to the sky, wrapping themselves around everything that would burn. There was no where left to run.

Bunny took a step back, only for his foot to slip over the edge. He raised his paw back to solid ground and looked back at the water, begging his mind to come with a way of escape.

A cracking sound, loud as a gunshot, caught his attention and he looked upwards. His eyes widened with fear as he saw the burning wood falling right towards them, threatening to crush him and Jack in a matter of seconds.

His body moved by instincts and he spun around, throwing himself into the air.

A second later he broke the water's surface and the cold liquid wrapped itself around him. He tried to gasp but instead of air, the only thing that filled his lungs was water. Quickly closing his mouth, he kicked with his back legs until he re-broke the surface, immediately drawing a gasp of breath.

The strong current grabbed hold of him, dragging him with it. He tried to swim against it, but it was just too powerful for him.

"BUNNY!"

His head snapped around and his eyes widened as he saw Jack, the boy no longer on his back but being carried away by the current. The Winter Spirit disappeared beneath the surface only to reappear seconds later, struggling to keep his head above the water.

"BUNNY!" Jack's voice was full with fear. "HELP! I CAN'T SWIM!"

The Pooka immediately spun his body around and pushed forward, just as Jack disappeared from view again. Bunny kicked with his strong legs, but to his horror the distance between him and Jack only seemed to grow. No matter how hard he pushed his body, his little brother was always out of reach.

Jack broke the surface and Bunny could see that the Winter Spirit was quickly losing the little strength he had left. The boy tried desperately to keep his head above water, but wave after wave would crash down on him, forcing him down into the darkness.

"PLEASE, HELP ME!"

"HANG ON, JACK! I'M COMING!"

Bunny was just able to avoid a rock that seemed to suddenly rise among the waves and quickly turned his eyes back to the Winter Spirit, only to realize what appeared behind the boy.

"JACK! LOOK OUT!"

Jack didn't even have time to turn around before he slammed into the large rock, his body flung back by the force and the back of his head coming in contact with the hard surface with a sickening crack.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, until the boy's eyes rolled into the back of his head and his whole body fell limp. A second later, he disappeared beneath the surface.

"NO!"

Bunny pressed his body to move forward even faster, ignoring how his muscles screamed for him to stop. He would never stop, not until Jack was safe.

Taking a deep breath, he dove beneath the surface. His eyes searched franticly until they found Jack, the boy being dragged away by the current near the bottom of the river. Wasting no time, he kicked with his back legs, propelling himself forward.

He reached out and wrapped both arms around Jack's chest as soon as he was close enough, quickly brining them back to the surface. He tried desperately to keep them above the water but the current had grown more vicious, dragging them both down.

"JACK! JACK, WAKE UP!"

But the Winter Spirit showed no reaction to the Pooka's screams, his eyes remaining closed. As he placed his paw on the back of the immortal teenager's head, his panic increased as he felt a warmness there. It wasn't supposed to be, not as they were surrounded by freezing water. Something was very wrong.

A deafening rumbling sound caught the Pooka's attention and Bunny looked behind him to see the river disappearing over the edge. Bunny knew the fall was large by the sound of it and he knew not what awaited them at the bottom. And he didn't want to find out.

Tightening his hold of Jack, Bunny tried his hardest to reach the edge of the river, using all of his strength. But it just wasn't enough. The current wouldn't let them go, it only continued to pull them away from safety.

Bunny didn't dare to look, but he could hear them getting closer to the fall. And there was nothing he could do to stop it.

He closed his eyes and wrapped his body around Jack's, hoping to give his little brother some protection. He let out a scream as they fell over the edge and then there was nothing.


	18. Home

**_I'm back! Well, hopefully I haven't been away too long. If I have been, it wasn't my intentions. It's just that I have been working a lot lately and any free time I have usually is reserved to sleeping._**

 ** _Anyhow, this chapter will be the longest I have ever uploaded and i spent a lot of time one it, so I hope you all enjoy it._**

* * *

To say that Jack was surprised when the other Guardians had asked him where he lived was an understatement. Quite frankly, he didn't think they cared.

At all.

But then he became somewhat worried.

What if it was essential for him to have some sort of ground base now when he had become a Guardian? All the others had one, so what if it was a rule? And, would he get in trouble for not having one?

The lake from which he had risen was the closest to a home he got at. And it wasn't like he stayed there all year around. It got too hot for him during the warmer seasons and there was always winter to be spread. He usually just slept where he fell, even if it wasn't the most comfortable at times.

But was his lake enough?

The first time they had asked, Jack had waved the question off, thinking nothing off it. But the subject kept coming up and the more the Winter Spirit tried to avoid giving an answer, the more determined the others got at getting one.

Eventually, Jack thought 'eh, screw it' and decided to just show them. So, using one of North's snow globes he teleported them all to his lake. As it was the beginning of winter, there was no problem for him to be there and show them.

He was not however, calmed by their reactions. The other four Guardians had blinked in confusion when they noticed where they were and then proceeded with looking around, as if they were searching for something.

Jack merely stepped out onto his lake, the water freezing beneath him. He tapped his staff to the water's surface and in a couple of moments, ice had complete covered the entire lake. Making sure it was thick enough, as he did every year, he then began skating.

He might be worried, but he wasn't about to show it.

The others continued to look around for a few more minutes but seeing that they found nothing, they all turned to the immortal teenager. Bunny stepped up to the edge of the lake, the other's just behind him, and glared at the Winter Spirit as he placed his paws on his hips.

"Is this funny to ya, Frostbite?"

Jack glanced at the Pooka as he skated past and smirked, his staff held comfortably behind his back.

"What's funny?"

Bunny lifted his right paw and gestured to the forest around them.

"Dragging all of us out to nowhere? I thought ya were gonna show us yar home."

Jack actually stopped skating at that and stood in the middle of the frozen lake. Bunny was still glaring at him while the others were still looking around, Tooth even going so far as to flying a little higher to see further away.

Jack knew they were looking for some sort of house, but he also knew they weren't going to find any.

He wrinkled his nose as his smirk slipped away, being replaced by a confused frown.

"But I am."

The reactions were instant, at which Jack felt something heavy beginning to form in the pit of his stomach. He watched as the glare slipped from Bunny's expression, leaving one of shock. There was a small 'thud' as Tooth hit the ground, the Queen staring at the immortal teenager with wide eyes.

The fact that she was standing, freaked Jack out a little. Tooth never did anything standing and she was never ever still. She always flied, fluttered, hovered or zipped. But at that moment, Tooth was more still than Jack had ever seen her. And it made him very uncomfortable.

North on other hand, looked like someone had taken one of his precious ice sculptures and then proceeded to stomp on it, only to then tell him that they were out of cookies and hot chocolate. He looked shocked, worried and his eyes were so large they reminded Jack of an owl's.

And Sandy looked more awake than Jack had ever seen the oldest Guardian. The smallest member was just staring at him, not a single symbol of sand formed above his head. Contrary to many beliefs, Sandy was a very chatty person, if one was willing to listen. No one thought so, seeing that the small man never uttered a word. But now, Jack had actually stunned him into utter silence.

'Huh, what do you know.'

As no one said anything for several moments, Jack crossed his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow.

"What?"

The others actually jumped slightly at the question and broke out from their trance, or whatever it was. North, Tooth and Sandy shared a look between the three of them, while Bunny seemed to hesitate to speak for a second.

"Ya…live here?"

Jack tilted his head to the left and blinked.

"Yeah."

"Outside?"

Jack tilted his head to the right and blinked some more.

"Yeaaahhhh."

He dragged the word out, a silent question within his voice. But as the others only continued to stare at him, his frown deepened and the feeling in his stomach grew slightly. The silence between them began to drag out and become very uncomfortable.

Jack didn't like how they were acting. He began fearing his worries were true.

Because he didn't have a real home, would he be stripped of his title as a Guardian?

As he didn't want the others to see how scared he actually was, he forced back the smirk to his expression and spread his arms out as if trying to strengthen the point he was about to make. He only hoped it would work.

"Come on, guys. It's not so bad. Sure it's no amazing fortress like North's, or majestic palace as Tooth's, or a magical castle like Sandy's, or a beautiful paradise like Bunny's. But it's still all good." Jack knew he was rambling, but he just couldn't seem to stop. "I mean, I get a lot of fresh air and I can watch the stars every night. And when I sleep in tress I don't have to worry about being eaten by wolves and I get to see the stars- wait, I said that already."

He lowered his arms, but then reached out to tap his cheek in thought. He frowned as he tried to come up with more arguments, but his mind drew blank.

'I really should have thought this through more before bringing them here.'

He looked up to see that the others were still staring at him. They weren't even blinking and no one was moving. All this only caused Jack more distress, to the point where he was beginning to feel slightly sick.

His entire body language immediately change. He grew guarded and took a step back, his eyes narrowing further. The grip of his staff tightened and the Wind ruffled his hair, picking up on the Winter Spirit's distress.

"What?"

Tooth was the first one speak next. Her wings began to flutter and lifted her off the ground, but she still stayed where she was. She wrung her hands together nervously and bit her lip.

"You…you actually sleep outside?"

Jack hesitated for only a second, but it didn't go unnoticed.

"Yes."

"But Jack," Tooth asked slowly, carefully. "What do you do when it rains?"

Jack remained silent for several moments, before he shrugged his shoulders.

"Um, I get wet?"

Tooth looked like she wanted to cry at that moment and she slowly fell back to the ground, which immediately made Jack feel guilty. Glancing at the others, he was met by similar expressions and he felt his last hope falter.

He knew it, he was going to be kicked out. He had been a Guardian for less than a year and he had already fucked up. That had do be some sort of record.

"Jack?"

North's voice brought him out of his musing and he looked up at the Cossack. The man looked devastated, broken. He looked as if someone had canceled Christmas for all eternity. North hadn't even looked like that when Sandy had 'died'.

"Jack?" North said his name with such sadness. "You live here all year?"

Jack didn't even notice how his lower lip slipped between his teeth. He crossed his arms over his chest, as if trying to shield himself.

"Well, no. It gets too hot for me during spring and summer. I usually go to Antarctica then."

Tooth suddenly in the air again, her wings fluttering almost nervously and her hands clasped in front of her chest in what Jack could only describe as hope.

"You have a house there then?"

The other three instantly lit up with hope at that as well, to which Jack could only continue to frown. He glanced away, unable to look at them and instead focused on his reflection in the ice at his feet.

It would be so easy to lie, to give them the hope they so desperately wanted. Even if it was a false hope.

But in the end, he just couldn't. He couldn't lie to them, no matter how much he wanted to. It wouldn't be right. And even if he lied, they would find out the truth sooner or later. And despite that he wished it would be later, he knew telling them was the right thing to do.

No matter how much it hurt. Both them and him.

Taking a deep breath, he allowed his shoulder to sag with defeat.

"No, I don't." He smiled quickly as he saw their hope slip away, wanting, praying, to save the situation. "But-but I have a favorite snowdrift where I sleep, and-and I have made this really awesome slide that's like a mile long, and-and there's a lake so I can skate, and-and…"

Jack's words fell apart and he felt the tears threaten to rise as the others only continued to look at him with such broken expressions.

Bunny took a step forward, closer to the lake, and Jack had never seen the Pooka look so defeated, so distraught.

"Mate, when was the last time ya slept with a roof over ya head?"

Jack swallowed thickly, his left hand reaching up to grab his right arm in a tight grip. He could almost feel his nails dig into the skin of his arm, but he just couldn't seem to let go or even bring himself to care.

"Does never count?"

The Winter Spirit saw something shatter in the Pooka's eyes and it took him only a moment to realize it was the older Guardian's hope. He had taken the hope from the very one that protected it. It made Jack feel like a monster, having done that to Bunny. He might as well have stabbed the Pooka in the chest.

Bunny drew one of his paws over his ears, which had fallen and laid against his back. He shook his head and stepped away from the others, muttering low to himself. He turned his back to Winter Spirit, but Jack could still see the tension in the older Guardians shoulders.

Jack looked back at the other's and swallowed thickly once more, fighting back the nausea that had begun to form in the back of his throat. He almost took a step back as North spoke, the Cossack's voice uncharacteristically low.

"You…you mean you have never had a home?"

Jack looked around, taking in the familiar site around him. He knew every rock, every tree. He knew where the first flowers of spring would grow, he knew how many branches most of the trees had. He knew how many hours the pair of crows had put into the nest which laid on one of the branches of his favorite tree.

He knew all of those things.

He had spent so much time here that he knew everything there was to know. He knew all of it, from the ground to the sky.

But could he call it a home?

Yes, he was 'born here. He spent his entire first winter here and part of spring, learning of his powers and how to ride the Wind. And he always came back here. Whenever it grew cold enough for him, he came back.

He didn't know why. It wasn't like there was something here for him. There was his lake and the tree he usually slept in, but neither of them really meant that much to him. Well, maybe apart from his lake. He somehow felt connected to it, seeing he had died there. But apart from that, there really wasn't anything worth coming back to year after year.

With that said, he could only come to one conclusion. That while he had somewhere he often stayed, he didn't have a home. And he had never had one.

He had no home and somehow, despite that fact that he had been homeless for over three hundred years, it was only now when he had realized it, that it bother him. And it bothered him a lot.

He knew it shouldn't, but in a way, he had always thought he actually had a home. That his lake really was his home. And having that ripped away, hurt.

Jack was no stranger to the feeling of abandonment, he had felt it for so long it no longer hurt as much as it did in the beginning. But now, he felt like all that pain had returned. It felt like a hand had wrapped itself around his heart and squeezed it.

Slowly, he looked up and in an instant, he wished he hadn't. The other were still looking at him with a mixture of sadness and guilt. Even Bunny, who had turned back around. They were all looking at him in a way that made him feel so small, so weak.

So broken.

And all he could do was to shrug his shoulders as he answered North's question.

"…yeah, I guess I am."

His heart shattered as the others for the first time turned their gazes away from him, neither of them no longer able to look at him. He knew it, this was it. His title as a Guardian would be ripped away, he would be thrown out.

Glancing down at his reflection, he saw that tears were now silently running down his cheeks. It didn't surprise him, he just wasn't able to hold them back for any longer. He was done, he just couldn't trick himself to believe that everything would turn out alright.

He looked back at the others and became aware that there was a pain his chest, like something had stabbed him. It took him only a moment to realize that it was grief.

He had thought he had finally found a place where he belonged, but now he knew. He was wrong, he would never fit in anywhere. He was destined to be alone.

Gripping his staff tightly as his shoulders shook with silent sobs, Jack to step back. He knew he had to go. He couldn't even stand the thought of the others telling him he wasn't a Guardian anymore, he couldn't hear them say it.

It would kill him.

He looked up at the family he had wished for, for three hundred years, but he now knew he could never have. He then called for the Wind, begging her to take him away from them, away from the pain.

"…I'm sorry."

And then he was gone.

* * *

 _ **So, what did you all think?**_

 _ **I personally am proud of it and I can tell you there will be a continuing of this.**_

 _ **Until next time!**_


	19. Burned Snow pt4

**_I'm baaaccckkkk! And man, is it good to be. Let me tell you, a weeks vacation does wonder when you're so worn out you feel like you're about to kneel over at any second. It's been a long time since I've felt this relaxed and it also does wonder for my writing._**

 ** _I know this chapter is short, but fear not, the next one shall be uploaded within the next few days...god, I just sounded old._**

* * *

Bunny broke the still surface with a gasp, quickly grabbing hold of a near rock to keep himself from sinking back into the dark coldness. He kept his eyes closed as he focused on his breathing, trying to calm his racing heart.

He could have sworn he would have died, if not from the fall then from lacking the strength to reach the surface. He thought he would drown and yet he had survived. He and Jack-

Bunny's eyes snapped open and his head shot up from resting against the stone, franticly searching. Where was Jack? Where was his little brother? Had he-

The Pooka's eyes widened as they landed on the still form, the body laying by the edge of the small lake. And from what Bunny could see, the body wasn't moving.

Forcing himself to let go of the rock, he slowly slid back into the water and waded over to the small shore, his eyes filling with tears as he came closer. His heart shattered as he came close enough to see how badly injured Jack was.

His little brother had never looked so small, so fragile…so broken.

"…Jack?" Bunny swallowed thickly. "…Jackie?...C-can you hear me?"

He received no answer and at that very moment, Bunny broke down. His tears fell, mixing with the cold water as his body began trembling. He sobbed, sitting down and not caring about how cold he was. He couldn't move, he just didn't care anymore.

He gasped, trying to fill his lungs with air. But his chest had tightened, constricting with grief. He shut his eyes tightly, hugging himself in a desperate try to hold himself together. But nothing helped, the emotional pain was just far too great.

He had failed and because of his failure, he had lost his little brother.

"I-I'm so so-sorry, Ja-Jackie. S-so v-very so-sorry."

What was he going to tell the others? How was he suppose to tell them that their youngest family member was gone? Every single one of them loved Jack with all their hearts. To North and Tooth, he was a son and to Sandy, a grandson. Losing Jack would devastate all of them.

Bunny's eyes then snapped open at the sudden sound. It was quiet and weak, but there was no mistaking it.

Gasps of breath.

Looking over at Jack, Bunny's heart nearly leapt out of his chest with joy as he saw the boy's chest had slowly begun to rise and fall.

Jack was breathing, he was still alive. And Bunny had never been more relieved in his life. Now he had to get his brother back home and some much needed medical treatment.

The Pooka stood up to move over to his little brother, only to cry out as he put pressure on his right leg. Pain shot up from the base of his paw up through his limb, making him stumble. He fell down on all four and looked back towards his leg, his eyes widening.

A large wound began at his ankle and traveled up his leg, only to end at the middle of his thigh. The wound was deep, most likely having been caused by a sharp rock. Thankfully it wasn't bleeding heavily, the cold water seeming to have helped.

But it wouldn't help them get home.

Bunny couldn't stand and if he couldn't stand, he wouldn't be able to open up any tunnels. And without his powers, the two of them had no way of leaving the Canadian forest.

Bunny tried to come up with a solution, but he had nothing. He couldn't find a solution by himself and he had no way of contacting the others. They were on their own until someone found them and Bunny could only pray it would happen soon.

Looking at Jack, the Pooka knew the Winter Spirit didn't have much time. Jack might have survived the whole ordeal up to this moment, but Bunny was well aware that the boy was far from safe. If help didn't arrive soon, Jack could really die.

They might be immortals, but it didn't mean they couldn't die.

Limping forward, Bunny pulled himself up on solid ground and laid down behind Jack, letting the unconscious boy use his side as a pillow. He didn't move the Winter Spirit out of the water, hoping that the cold water would help the many injuries the Pooka suspected the boy had suffered.

He curled himself around Jack, keeping his wounded leg straight to not agitate it and to keep the pain at minimal. He leaned forward and placed his nose against the boy's temple, frowning when he felt the heat radiate from the usual cold skin. Fevers could be dangerous for others, but for a Winter Spirit they were deadly.

But there was nothing Bunny could do, he was useless. And he hated himself for that. The only thing he could do was pray, pray that Jack would hold on and that help would arrive soon.

"Hang on, Jackie." He whispered. "Everything will be alright. I promise."

Bunny could only hope he was right.


	20. Burned Snow pt5

**_I'M BACK! I'm alive guys, even if it hasn't seem like it as of late._**

 ** _Hope you missed me, but let's move on._**

 ** _Read and enjoy!_**

* * *

Bunny woke with a start, looking around franticly in disorientation.

Where was he? What was going on? What ha-

The memories from the day's events returned at that moment and Bunny winced as the explosive headache that followed. He rubbed his forehead before sighing, turning his attention to his little brother.

The boy hadn't moved at all, still resting against the Pooka's side. His chest still rose and fell weakly, sometimes with a sudden stutter that would only last for a moment. A wheezing sound came from Jack's lips, something Bunny suspected had to do with smoke inhalation. The fever still lingered, a red flush having covered the Winter Spirit's cheeks.

Bunny was relieved however, to see that his little brother's condition hadn't worsened. Perhaps, the cold water was really helping.

Glancing around, Bunny found that night had fallen. He looked up at the moon, calculating that he had been asleep for several hours and while he didn't like that little fact, he wasn't surprised.

He had been exhausted, his body having begged for rest. He had tried to stay awake, not wanting to take his eyes of Jack in case of any changes. But as dusk had fallen, he hadn't been able to keep his eyes open for any longer.

A icy wind suddenly drew by and Bunny shivered, curling up slightly more than he already had. Canada was nearing the season of Winter, which was why Jack had been in the area to begin with, and the nights were growing increasingly cold. While that was good for Jack, Bunny knew he wouldn't be able to stand it for much longer.

His body trembling, the Pooka let out a soft growl as he could see his own breath. He was freezing, but he had no way of warming himself. If help didn't arrive soon, he was certain he would freeze to death.

Looking up at the fall, he was relieved to see that the fire had at least stopped. There was no longer the burning light of a fire, only smoke traveling up the sky. The humans had managed to put it out, stopping the fire from doing any more damage.

Bunny sighed and looked towards the forest that laid behind them, his ears falling in worry. He didn't dare to think what might roam through the thick bush, what predators the shadows might hide. If something were to attack, he wouldn't be able to fight it off.

Looking back towards his injured leg, he was happy to see that the bleeding had stopped completely at this point. The fur around the wound was matted with dried blood and a thin crust had formed over the injury.

Lying his head back down on his folded arms, he let out another sigh. The worry was eating away at him. What if they were never found? His leg would eventually heal enough for him to be able to open a tunnel, but Jack wouldn't last until then.

"…Bunny?"

The Pooka's head snapped up and he turned it around, eyes widening as he met dull blue eyes that was glazed over with fever.

"J-Jack."

The Winter Spirit smiled weakly at the Pooka before he coughed, hissing as pain shot through his abused body.

"…Ao…that hurt."

Bunny let out a shaky snort.

"At least yar alive, Mate." He smiled softly. "Ya had me really worried, Jackie."

Jack glanced up at the Pooka at the mention of his nickname. Bunny only used that when he was scared or really worried. Neither was comforting right then.

"Well, you know me. Nothing can keep me down for long." He coughed again and bit his lip as his chest tightened in pain. "S-shit, that really hurts."

Bunny frowned, his worry increasing. He was well aware that Jack had suffered several burns but as far as he knew, none of those burns had been located close to the boy's chest. Perhaps he had been injured during the fall.

"…Bunny, I don't feel so good."

Bunny felt his panic rise at the slur that suddenly appeared in the boy's speech and the way Jack's breathing grew more struggled. Jack shut his eyes tightly and turned his head, burying his face in Bunny's fur as he grit his teeth.

His burned arm rose to claw at his chest, the blistered skin breaking from the aggressive movement. Blood began to smear against his hoodie as he tore at the fabric, acting as if his chest was constricting. He coughed, but it was wet and only seemed to worsen the more he tried to get air into his lungs.

Bunny sat up, ignoring the pain that shot up his leg and cradled Jack close. He grabbed Jack's arm, forcing it away from his chest and flinched as Jack cried out. The Winter Spirit began gasping, unable to gain air.

The Pooka looked down at the boy's chest, his eyes narrowing when he noticed that the blood smear on the hoodie only seemed to grow, despite the fact that Jack's bleeding arm had been removed from the fabric. That could only mean that Jack was bleeding from his chest as well.

"Easy there, Jackie." Bunny whispered. "Just calm down. I'm gonna take a look, alright. Deep breaths, Snowflake."

Jack nodded, showing that he had heard his big brother but kept his eyes tightly shut. He let out a loud hiss as Bunny lifted his hoodie, the fabric brushing against his skin.

Bunny kept his movements slow and careful, trying to make sure he didn't hurt his little brother more than necessary. Taking one last look on Jack's face to make sure that the boy was breathing, he then moved his eyes to the boy's chest, having lifted the hoodie up enough to get a clear view on the immortal teenager's chest.

And his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach at what he saw.

Jack's entire skin was blistering red, darker spots spread out over the area. The skin that was located over the boy's heart was much darker in color, so much darkened it was nearly black. Bunny had never seen an injury such as this, never in his many years of living.

And yet, there was only one thing he could call it.

An internal burn.

But how was that even possible? Bunny had never heard of such a thing, never know it existed. And not knowing made the whole thing more frightening. If he hadn't known it existed, then how was he going to treat it?

Looking back at Jack, his heart broke as he saw those tears roll down the fever-flushed cheeks. Jack had been began sobbing, his hand shooting up to clutch the Pooka's fur.

"M-make it stop! I-I c-can't ta-take it!"

Bunny felt his own tears slip down his cheeks. He gently brushed boy's sweat-drenched hair away from his forehead, leaning down to press his nose against his little brother's temple.

"Shh, Jackie." He whispered gently. "Just calm down, you have to breath. In and out, take it slow."

Jack tried to breathe deeply, but ended up coughing until it felt like he was going to suffocate. He cried out as he felt like he was being burned alive again, the hot pain spreading rapidly through his body and wrapping itself around his heart.

Bunny looked around franticly for something that could help, when his eyes landed on water which laid in front of them. The edge, where water met land, had begun to frost over, showing that the temperature was decreasing which meant the water was as well. It wasn't a miracle, but Bunny had nothing else.

Standing up with the Winter Spirit in his arms, he grunted as his injured leg nearly buckled beneath him. He limped forward, his body beginning to shiver as soon as he stepped into the icy water.

He walked until the water reached his hips and the sat down, carefully lowering Jack into the water. Jack instantly seemed to relax, the cold water helping. He became limp in the Pooka's arms, his breathing evening out. The flow of his tears eased slightly, showing that some of the pain had been taken away.

"There ya go, Snowflake. Just breath, in and out."

Bunny shivered, the coldness of the water feeling like it was seeping into his very bones. He wanted so badly to get up on dry land but after seeing how much the cold water had helped Jack, he didn't dare to move.

He looked down at Jack and saw that the boy had fallen unconscious, the teenager no longer able to stand the pain. Bunny could only hope it gave some relief to his little brother.

"Please," he whispered brokenly. "…help us."

"Aster?"


	21. A Believer's Promise

_**I'm back once again and this time I'm bringing Jamie Bennett with me. I have so many ideas for stories that include Jamie, but those are always when his older and I wanted my first one to be when he's still a kid.**_

 _ **So this is the result of that. I hope you all enjoy and I will try to update soon again.**_

* * *

The house almost shook as Jamie slammed his bedroom door closed behind him. He threw his schoolbag to the floor and stalked over to the his bed, throwing himself onto the mattress and burring his face in his pillow. He let out a scream, the pillow muffling the sound and making sure his mother and sister didn't hear him.

He did not need either of them asking him what was wrong.

He sat up, still holding the pillow to his face and let out a another scream. As soon as the sound ebbed away his shoulders sagged and he let the pillow fall back to the bed, a small sigh escaping his lips.

"Rough day at school, buddy?"

"Gah!"

Jamie spun around so quickly he promptly fell off his bed and hit the floor with a dull thud. He sat up so quickly his head spun, his heart hammering beneath his ribs. His eyes snapped towards the direction the voice had come from, the young boy expecting to see an intruder.

Only to see Jack sitting on top of his desk, the Winter Spirit comfortably leaning against the wall with his legs crossed by the ankles and reading a book.

Jamie frowned and stood up, absently rubbing his butt to ease the dull ache that had come from hitting the floor.

"How did you get in here?"

Jack didn't even glance up from the book as he answered.

"I decided to take after North and jumped down the chimney."

Jamie stared at the Guardian of Fun for a long moment. Jack sounded completely serious and nothing on the immortal's expression reviled anything else. Yet, Jamie couldn't picture Jack sliding down their chimney. Not that he didn't think Jack wasn't capable, but the whole thing just sounded so utterly ridiculous.

"Seriously?"

Jack glanced up at the Jamie and the instant he saw the boy's expression, his lips tugged upwards in an easy grin.

"You're hilariously gullible sometimes, buddy. Your mother opened the window an hour ago."

Jamie stuck his tongue out at his friend.

"Shut up." He then blinked. "Wait, you been sitting here for an hour?"

Jack nodded and went back to the book, which Jamie now focused on. He recognized it and was very surprised to see it in the Winter Spirit's hands. Heck, he avoided it as much as possible.

"Jack, why are you reading my history book?"

The immortal teenager smirked but never raised his gaze from the book.

"I'm reading up on some stuff I missed out on while also seeing what they got wrong."

Jamie walked over to the desk and leaned against his chair, glancing at the book before looking back up at Jack.

"Got wrong?"

Jack turned the page and nodded.

"Yep. The idiot who wrote this got a whole lot of stuff wrong." He shut the book and threw it to the side. He then scooted forward, until his legs dangled over the edge of the desk, and folded his arms over his knees. "But enough about that. What got you in such a foul mood this wonderful day?"

Jamie gave a scowl and opened his mouth to deny that anything was wrong, but the look he got from the Guardian had his mouth snap shut. He stared at Jack for a long moment, but Jack only stared back. After a few moments, Jamie let out a sigh and let his head fall to his folded arms.

"It's really stupid." He murmured.

"I doubt that."

Several seconds of silence passed before Jamie let out a groan.

"There's this girl in my class."

Jack actually snorted.

"Girl problem? Seriously?"

Jamie raised his head slightly and glared at the Winter Spirit.

"No. There's no 'girl problem'. Just problem."

Jack raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to continue. Jamie sighed but then spoke up.

"Her name is Angely, but she's far from an angel. She's mean and a bully and for some reason she hates my gut. And now I have been paired with her in a project and when I talked to my teacher, she just said I had to try and be nice to her."

Jamie slammed his head repeatedly against his arms and let out a loud groan.

"I can't stand her!"

Jack let out a loud snort, outright laughing when Jamie glared at him. He then leaned his elbows against his knees and put his head in his hands, smirk that smile so full of mischief Jamie never got tired of seeing. It just fit Jack so perfectly.

"Yeah, isn't it really annoying when you have to be nice to someone you really want to throw a brick at?"

"Tell me about it."

Jack chuckled at his first believer's misfortune, but then frowned as something in his mind clicked. Jamie noticed the sudden silence and raised his head, his eyebrows lowering when he saw the Winter Spirit's thoughtful expression.

"Jack?"

The immortal teenager blinked at the sound of his name and looked up, meeting Jamie's gaze with his own. But before the boy could say anything, Jack was already speaking.

"It's not like you to get this frustrated over something like this. There's something you're not telling me."

Jamie scowled, more to himself than anything else. He had hoped Jack wouldn't have noticed, but apparently the Winter Spirit was more observant than he had first thought.

"Jamie?"

The boy let out a sound that could either have been a whine or a sigh and lowered his head back to his arms.

"She doesn't believe. Not in the Easter Bunny, or in the Tooth Fairy, or in Santa Claus or in the Sandman." He let out a shaky breath. "…she doesn't believe in you."

He didn't look up, he didn't see Jack's lost expression. But he didn't need to, he knew it was there. He tried so hard to get his classmate to change her mind, to open her eyes, but she refused. He had tried for an entire week and he had done everything he could think of, but in the end, he had failed.

Because he hadn't wanted to see that lost expression on Jack's face. Jamie knew he and his friends were the only children that believed in Jack, but the Winter Spirit had never complained about having so few believers. But Jamie wanted him to have more, had wanted to get more children to believe in Jack Frost.

But he failed.

"…Jamie, look at me."

He hesitated for a moment, but the slowly raised his head. He scrubbed at his cheeks, trying to get rid of the evidence the few tears had left behind despite knowing it was no use. As he looked up, he was confused to see that Jack was smiling softly at him.

"I know you tried and I appreciate you doing that, but…" Jack closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again they were shining with tears, but his soft smile didn't waver. "But you can't force someone to believe, Jamie. No matter how much you want to, you can't force that belief into existence."

The Winter Spirit chuckled, but it sounded hollow and forced. Jamie almost cringed and had to force himself not to start crying again. When Jack looked back at him, something in his chest shattered.

"…believe me, I've tried."

Jamie tried to swallow the large lump that had suddenly appeared in the back of his throat and his hands gripped the chair so hard it nearly hurt. He had never seen Jack look so…broken.

He knew there was a lot he didn't knew about Jack's life or for how long he had gone before gaining his first believers, as the Guardian had refused to tell him, but something told him those years hadn't been easy for Jack.

And a part of him wondered if he even wanted to know.

One thing he did know however was that Jack was never suppose to have that haunted look in his eyes, never someone as kind and selfless as the Winter Spirit.

Because that was what Jack was. Kind and selfless. Heck, Jack had done everything to get Jamie to believe in Bunny during the whole 'Nightmare incident', never once thinking about himself.

Slowly, Jamie looked away and bit his lip.

"It's not fair."

He glanced up in time to see Jack shake his head weakly and let out a deep breath through his nose.

"Life's not fair, kiddo. There's always going to be those who doesn't believe, no matter how hard we try to make them, and in the end we have to accept that."

Jamie frowned.

"I don't like it."

Jack shrugged.

"You don't have to, you just have to accept it. There's going to be a lot of things in life you won't like and they will be hard to accept, but refusing to accept them will only hurt you in the end."

Jack then suddenly leapt to his feet, his toes gripping the edge of the desk. Jamie nearly jumped back at the Winter Spirit's sudden movements but the laughed when he noticed the smirk on the immortal teenager's lips. Jack leaned over and grabbed his staff, that had been leaning against the wall, and twirled it within his fingers.

"Now, there's perfect day of winter just outside and it would be a crime to let it go to waste. So quit your moping and get your butt in gear."

Jamie let out a rich laughter, his previously foul mood instantly forgotten.

"Sure! Let me just get my jacket."

Jack leapt over to the window and pointed his staff towards his first believer.

"You better hurry or you're going to get a snowball to the face."

Jamie only laughed as Jack leaned out of the window and disappeared from view. The boy then ran out of his room and down the stairs. But as he reached for his jacket, his hand stilled for a moment as his mind returned to their conversation and he smiled softly.

Jack was right, he could never force someone to believe. But he would never stop, he would do everything he could to bring out the belief in those who possessed it. He would get more people to believe in Jack Frost, he would get more children to believe in his Hero.

Because that was what Jack was. A Hero. And Jamie would never let Jack go back to being _just_ a legend, to being an expression. He would always believe Jack and he would make sure others did too.

And that, was a promise.


	22. Facebook

**_Another chapter! And so soon, yay! I just got this idea in my head and I have spent two days writing it down. I was planning on waiting a few days before uploading it, since I just uploaded a chapter, but I couldn't wait to see what you think about it._**

 ** _Oh, and I wanted to thank everyone for their awesome reviews, I love them and they mean the world to me._**

 ** _So enjoy and hopefully more chapters are on their way._**

* * *

Jack frowned as he let his eyes traveled across the field. The _very empty_ filed. It was a wonderful day on the first week of winter and he had already given the town a generous amount of snow, so much in fact that school had been canceled and the town's children had been given a three-days weekend.

So why was the field empty?

Here he had made a real effort in bringing a wonderful Snowday to all the children and none of them had come out to enjoy it. A field this perfect should not be empty.

Frankly, he felt insulted. And Jack Frost did not take lightly to being insulted.

Letting out a loud huff, he walked off the branch he had been perched on and fell into the Wind's caring embrace. The ancient power ruffled the boy's hair before carrying him into town, moments later gently putting him down on a rooftop.

Jack silently tanked his oldest friend and slid down the roof until he reached the window of his first believer. Looking inside, he frowned as he saw the reason why Jamie wasn't outside. The kid was on his computer, leaning so far forward in his seat that his nose was almost touching the screen.

Rolling his eyes with a quick shake of his head he tapped the window with his staff, barking out a laugh as he heard Jamie let out a squeak and fall off his chair. The boy laid on the floor for a moment, before he raised his head to glare at the Winter Spirit outside his window. Jack smiled and waved, chuckling as Jamie let his head fall back to the floor.

Pouting as his first believer made no moments to get up, Jack turned away from the window and crossed his arms over his chest.

"If you're not going to let me in, I guess I will just be going."

Not a moment later, the window was thrown open and a hand clutched the back of his hoodie, keeping him from flying off.

"No! Don't leave!" Jamie was almost half out the window himself. "I haven't seen you for almost a whole year! You can't just leave!"

Jack snorted and looked over his shoulder, a smirk on his lips.

"Have some dignity, please, kiddo."

Jamie's eyes widened as he noticed he had almost thrown himself out his own window and in a instant, his cheeks burned with embarrassment. He let go of Jack's hoodie and jumped back, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

Jack turned around and laughed, the kid looked like a tomato in the face. Jamie shyly looked up and let out a small snort as the Winter Spirit stuck out his tongue at him. Beaming, Jack stepped inside the room and poked his first believer in the chest, earning a giggle.

The immortal teenager then leapt over to the bed and perched himself on the footboard, Jamie smiling at his best friend's actions. Jack twirled his staff with one hand before he pointed the old wood at Jamie.

"So kiddo, mind telling me what you're doing inside on an perfectly perfect Snowday?" The Winter Spirit pouted. "I don't give them to just anybody, you know. You and your friends are being really rude and ungrateful ignoring such a perfect day for fun."

Jamie bit his lip and gave the Winter Spirit a smile he hoped was at least a little bit apologetic.

"Sorry, Jack. It's just, I didn't knew you were coming today."

The immortal teenager merely arched an eyebrow, not for an instant impressed by the lie and Jamie felt his cheeks heat up again.

"Um, I had homework?"

Jack remained silent and continued to stare at his best friend.

Jamie fidget under the stare and gnawed on his lower lip, before he let his shoulders slump in defeat and he let out a loud groan.

"Fiinnneee. I got stuck talking with everyone over Facebook."

Jack blinked and tilted his head, wondering if he had heard right.

"Facebook?"

Jamie nodded, clearly missing what the Winter Spirit was actually asking.

"Yeah. Everyone is doing it now."

Somehow, Jack had a hard time picturing that. But humans had always been a bit strange and Jack had seen many trends come and past over his life. Perhaps this was another one of those trends. He had never really understood any of them and he had a feeling he this time wouldn't be an exception.

"Everyone is actually taking part in this 'Facebook' thing."

Jamie nodded, seeming more excited. He grabbed Jack by the arm and dragged the Winter Spirit over to his desk.

"Yeah, and it's really awesome. I can talk to anyone I want whenever I want."

Jack blinked. Wasn't that why the phone had been invited? Not that he had understood that invention that either. Sure, he understood it was great for people with great distance between them, but humans today used that to talk to each other despite that they could live right next to each other.

What was wrong with walking over and actually talking to someone else?

Jack blinked down at his first believer and blinked as the boy threw words out quicker than his brain could keep up. He was still stuck at the fact that the kids could talk to each other through this 'Facebook' thing.

How was that even possible? Did humans have magic he didn't know about?

"Wait, wait, wait." He waved his hands and Jamie closed his mouth with a small 'click'. "You're telling me you talk to your friends by using this 'Facebook' thing?"

Jamie nodded and jumped slightly in the same spot, grinning.

"Yeah, it's so fun. You should really try it." His eyes lit up. "That would be so cool! Then you could Facebook with me and we could talk and we could-"

Jack spaced out for a moment, his first believer's words washing over him but not one reached his ears.

Jamie wanted him to try Facebook?

But he didn't know the first thing about modern trends. Heck, he was still trying to figure out how a television worked and he had been there when it had been invented.

But looking down at Jamie, the kid was just so excited and he didn't want to disappoint the first child that had ever believed in him. So he could try, right? Really, how hard could it actually be?

 _'Well, here goes nothing.'_

Jamie was still talking, not having noticed that the Guardian had sized to listen.

"-and we could send pictures to everyone. They would all be so jealous and then I could teach you how to…"

He fell silent however as one of his books, which had been placed on his desk, was suddenly being pressed against his face. His arms fell to his sides and tired to figure out was going on, his mind so confused,

Jack blinked as Jamie suddenly grew silent. Had he grabbed the wrong book? He had just taken the first one he seen, but perhaps 'Facebooking' required a special book. Or perhaps he wasn't holding it right? Should the book be open for it to work?

"Jack?" Came Jamie's voice, slightly muffled.

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

Jack arched an eyebrow.

"Um, I'm using Facebook."

The was a small pause.

"No, you're pressing a book to my face."

"Isn't that how you use Facebook?"

"No."

"Oh."

Neither moved for several awkward moments, the air thick. Finally, Jamie spoke up.

"Um, Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"You can removed the book from my face now."

"Right."

The book was slowly removed and as soon as it was, the Last Light raised his gaze to stare at the Winter Spirit. Jack held the book close to his chest and his cheeks were flushed purple. He was blushing, Jamie realized and he tilted his head to the left slightly.

He opened his mouth to say something, anything, when he noticed the stiffness in Jack's shoulders. It took him a moment but then he realized that Jack was embarrassed, about the whole situation.

Then again, who wouldn't be?

Had it been anyone else, Jamie would had been bent over laughing already. But this wasn't just anybody, this was Jack and Jamie knew he could never laugh at his best friend, his Hero. No matter how amusing the situation was.

But he had to say something. They couldn't just stand there and stare at each other. Could they?

Jamie shook his head and then beamed up at Jack, deciding the best would be if they just moved on.

"So, um, Snowday?"

Jack entire face split in a large grin, a little purple flush still on his cheeks, and he flung the book away without a second thought. He did a back flip onto the windowsill and raised his arms excitingly, the Wind swirling into the room and brining some snow with her as she picked up on her Winter Child's brightened mood.

"Yeah. I covered this whole field with snow perfect for making snowballs and building snowmen. We can get your friends and have a snow fight, it will be epic."

Jamie laughed at the Spirits enthusiastic and nodded, more than happy to spend the rest of the day outside in the snow with his friends. And with Jack joining them, it was sure to be an amazing time for all of them.

"Sure, let me just send them…" Jamie trailed of and glanced at his computer, before he shook his head and smiled up at Jack. "You know? Let's go gather them up ourselves. That way, we can pelt them with snowballs as soon as they step outside."

The Winter Spirit laughed, the sound so much like wind blowing between ice taps.

"Then what are we waiting on, kiddo? Let's get going."

He spun around, as if to throw himself out the window, but paused gaining Jamie's attention once again as he had been about to run down to grab his coat. Jack glanced over his shoulder and smiled, greatful.

"Thanks, kiddo." He cleared his throat. "I would…appreciate if you didn't tell anyone about this."

Jamie smiled.

"Don't worry, Jack." The Last Light winked, his eyes full of mirth and promise. "It will be our secret."

* * *

 _ **I actually got this idea from personal experience. I remembered when I tried to explain Facebook to my grandfather and at one point I literally had to go "No, grandpa, Facebook does not mean we press books to our faces."**_

 _ **It was hilarious and I thought it would make a good story, thus this chapter was born.**_

 _ **Hope you all enjoyed it.**_


	23. Prom Disaster and Winter Dance

**_I'm baaaccccckkkkk!_**

 ** _However, with both good and bad news. Good news, I have more time to spend on my stories. Bad news, it's because I have broken my hand. I have had it for two weeks already and if all goes well, I will just have to have it for another two. If it goes bad, well, that's another six weeks in a cast. So while I have more time, it also takes longer to write because, one; I'm right handed and it's now broken and two; the pain is a real b #%h._**

 ** _Anyhow, This chapter focusing mostly on Sophie, but also Jack and it'f a few years forward. I can't tell exactly how many years because, meh. I had planned to get a few chapters when Sophie is still younger out first but this one just wouldn't leave me alone._**

 ** _So enjoy and see you all soon!_**

* * *

Sophie tried so hard to stop her tears but no matter how hard she was trying to force them back, they kept coming. She was wet, cold and utterly humiliated. How could she have been so stupid to think, for even a moment, that they cared about her?

And the worst part was, she had no one but herself to blame.

Jamie had warned her, told her not to believe them and to stay home. If not that, to at least go with her friends. But she hadn't listened, taking his concerns and throwing them back in his face. Told him he was just jealous she was going with the popular kids, like he had never done.

But he had been right, so right about it all. She should have listened. He knew how mean teenagers could be, so more than anyone. He had been worried about her and she had more or less spit in his face for it.

She felt like the worse sister in the history of horrible sisters.

Glancing down at her dress, she almost started sobbing again as she took in the red stains on the white fabric of her dress. She had been so proud of her dress, how it had looked like freshly fallen snow with silver pearls as details. She had loved how it ended in line with her knees and how it made her feel beautiful.

And now it was ruined.

It had been expensive as well and for a brief moment she wondered what her mother would say. She didn't even dare to think how angry she would be once she gathered enough courage to return home.

A gust of wind blew past and she shivered, wrapping her arms tighter around herself. She had left her coat back at the dance and she had no intentions of going back. She couldn't face the humiliation that awaited her, the humiliation she knew she had to face come Monday morning.

She didn't want to think about that, but the thought just keep coming back. When school started again after the weekend, she would have to face everyone that had laughed at her tonight. And she would probably have to do it alone, seeing how she had brushed her friends aside for a chance of popularity.

Her tears began to start up again. How could she had been so stupid? She had thrown everything good in her life to the side and for what? She was such a idiot. Her mother would be furious with her, Jamie must hate her and her friends-

"Sophie?"

She sat up with a start to see Jack standing in front of her, the Winter Spirit a splitting image from when she had first seem him all those years ago. His hair still as white, his eyes just as blue. The only things that had changed was his clothes. Dark gray jeans that ended by his calves and a navy blue hoodie with silver fur around the hood.

Sophie looked down and let out a wobbly laugh. Still no shoes. She let out another snivel as she recalled, when she had been younger, how Bunny had tried to get Jack to wear shoes. It hadn't ended well for the Pooka and no one had tried to force shoes on the Winter Spirit since.

But she had never thought it strange. The mere thought of Jack with shoes, bothered her. Running around barefoot all year around, including the middle of winter was just so, Jack.

She drew her hand across her right cheek, scrubbing away a few tears.

"Hey, Jack. Messing with the Autumn Spirit again? It's just early October."

Jack was frowning at her and wasn't that disturbing, but to her relief he shrugged his shoulders.

"Meh." He smirked. "That sourpuss knows all bets are off when it comes to this town. If I say winter starts now, it's starting now."

Sophie let out a small giggle but as she back up, she saw that Jack was frowning again. His eyes scanned her over, taking in her shivering form, her ruined dress and her punch soaked hair. She quickly lowered her head in shame, missing the flicker in Jack's eyes.

"Sophie…what happened?"

A broken sniffle managed to escape and she swallowed thickly, silently wishing the ground would just open and swallow her.

"I…I went to prom. Well, kind of. It was more like a dance because our school decided that a kind of Autumn Dance would be nice, so they decorated the school and everything and it was really beautiful, and I have been excited for a week, and I-"

"Sophie, what happened?"

This time she couldn't hold back the sobs and she curled into herself, her hair hanging down and covering her face. Her shoulders trembled as it all come back and she pressed her hands against her eyes, as if that would force the memories away.

"I-I was stupid." She whispered, voice frail and shaking. "I was asked out by this popular guy and I actually thought he liked me. He was real sweet too, told he I was beautiful and said I looked like a princess. The popular girls acted like I was one of them and I thought we were having a great time, but…but then the guy distracted me and the girls dumped the entire punch bowl over me."

She scrubbed at her eyes violently, but the tears just kept coming and she couldn't stop her voice from breaking.

"E-everyone laughed at me! It was all a joke to them! My mom's going to kill me because my dress got ruined and my friends hate me because I pushed them aside, and-and…" She whimpered."…I really liked him…I thought…"

She fell silent but after a moment she felt a finger slip under her chin, lifting her head up. She had been expecting anger or disappointment, but instead she was met by a soft smile and eyes that only spoke of care and understanding. It threw her off and Jack chucked softly at her expression.

"Crying over a guy?" He released her chin and lifted his hand above her head for a moment, before he lowered it to 'boop' her own the nose. "Pick your head up, princess. Your tiara is falling."

Stunned, Sophie slowly reached up and carefully traced the tiara made of pure ice that now rested on top of her head. She drew her tears and felt herself smile, meeting Jack's caring eyes.

"Thanks, Jack."

The Winter Spirit smiled and winked, causing her to giggle.

"Think nothing of it, princess." He crossed his arms. "Don't waste your tears on someone who don't deserve them."

Sophie thought for a moment and then nodded, determined. Jack was right, that boy didn't deserve her tears, not after what he had done to her. She wouldn't cry for him, not anymore.

Jack then stood up from his crouched position and held out his hand to her.

"Now, come on. I will walk you home."

Sophie smiled and took the offered hand, the Winter Spirit pulling her to her feet. She shivered as the night seemed to grow colder, but as she turned to Jack she saw that he was holding his hoodie out to her, now clad in a simple t-shirt.

She hesitated for a moment, but the accepted the offered cloth and pulled it on, instantly feeling a little better.

"Thanks."

Jack chuckled.

"Well I wouldn't be much of a gentleman if I let you freeze, now would I?"

That caused a laugh to bubble past her lips.

"Of course. Jack Frost, the finest gentleman there ever was."

"You know it."

They walked down the street in silence for a few moments.

"Really Jack, thank you."

Jack hummed and tilted his head to smile at her.

"I'm happy to, princess."

Sophie chuckled at the nickname, now both happy and relieved that Jack had found her. He always seemed to show up at the right time and that, she was thankful for. Thankful to know that she had a Guardian looking out for her.

"I don't know if I'm ever going to go to a prom again," She said without any bitterness she had thought she would feel. "Sure would have been nice to get to dance once though."

She turned her head as she heard Jack chuckle and her eyes widened as he suddenly bowed, his hand held out for her.

"Who am I to refuse a request from such a beautiful princess?"

Her cheeks grew hot but she still smiled as she accepted his hand, Jack immediately guiding her into a twirl that had her laughing out loud.

"Do keep in mind I haven't danced in over three hundred years."

She laughed again, rich and loud. Jack grabbed her other hand and together they began to dance down the street, without a care in the world.

And perhaps this night hadn't been as bad as she first thought. Because as Winter himself spun her down the street, she didn't care how bad she had felt only moments before, how humiliated she had been.

She didn't care about any of that, because she knew in the end, it would all turn out alright. Her mother would understand, her friends would forgive her and her brother would still be there for her.

Beside, how many could say they got to dance with Winter himself on their first prom?


End file.
